#xornoth adopts child!shubble au

[prismadog]

my mind is a jumbled mess right now cause I have far too many thoughts and aus bouncing around in my brainspace like the dvd symbol on a tv screen. at this point, I can't get any progress done on any of my aus so I'm gonna make a post here to sort out the aus and my thoughts.

AUs that NEED to be worked on 1. the Creed of Gods and Men [empires s1] - - Xornoth adopts child!Shubble au 2. Crowns of Orchids and Fields of Poppies [empires s1] - - Jimnoth au, Jimmy x Xornoth au [slow burn enemies to lovers] 3. Dragon Mom Grian au (hermitcraft s8) - - Grian gets possessive/motherly over the Tegg (dragon egg)

AUs that I'm actively thinking about 1. Among Us Empires au (empires s1 x among us) - - Empires season 1 are crewmates on the Skeld, Jimmy and Lizzie are Imposters 2. the Harbinger [double life] - - Team Rancher takes Revenge for their son's (the Warden) death 3. Evo Server Prison au [evo smp] - - the Evo players are trapped in their server, more players are added, life series stuff also happens

AUs that I'm semi-thinking about 1. Watcher!Grian meets Hermitcraft au [hermitcraft 5 or 6] - - Grian is a Watcher who's caretakers sent him to Hermitcraft to escape danger, he spies on the Hermits from a distance 2. prisoner Jimmy au [empires s1 / pre-empires] - - young Jimmy is a prisoner of Mythland who's given to the Elfking of Rivendell as a "gift", includes child Scott and Conner (Xornoth) 3. Mythland x Codlands Arranged Marriage au [empires s1] - - Jimmy reluctantly marriages Sausage in order to stop the war with Mythland [slow burn enemies to husbands to friends to lovers, non-con / dub-con elements]

I think I need a little input here on what to work on cause honestly, I'm at a standstill with all these thoughts and aus. I know the Jimnoth au is (or was?) a semi-popular one here, and I wanna work on that, but I need something else to work on too otherwise I'll get burned out.

so anyone got any thoughts on these aus?

[lunarsands]

ESMP Fanfic: A Garden's Path - Ch 3

Characters: Mythical Sausage, Scott Smajor, Bubbles the Dog, Sir Carlos, appearances by the rest of the cast of Empires SMP S1, featuring blaze-hybrid emperor TangoTek, and introducing: The Children of Mythland (specific characters to be tagged when they appear in each chapter)

Relationships: MythicalSausage/Scott Smajor, LDShadowlady/Smallishbeans, Shubble/Katherine Elizabeth, TangoTek & SolidarityGaming, Joey Graceffa/Xornoth

Tags: Empires SMP S1 AU, scosage, adoption, fluff, wholesome, so much wholesome fluff you would not believe, a bit of angst here and there, Sausage has a few nightmares for Plot reasons, acknowledgement of amputation (not sure how else to tag that but just in case)

WARNINGS: fantasy racism (human v elf), loss of parent (with adoption inevitably comes orphans), minor character death in a later chapter

Chapter Summary: Sausage and Scott set out to add to their family and find quite the boisterous little elven girl to take up that place. Meet the adorable, unstoppable force that is Liana of Mythland.

(Also available on Ao3!)

[ Prologue ] [ Chapter One ] [ Chapter Two ]

[A/N: This character sprung fully formed from my head like Athena from Zeus. She was the first to get an official name due to a small one-off scene that eventually led to this whole story.] [To CallMeSausage on Ao3: I see your comment on Chapter Two, and I acknowledge it. XD ]

---

Chapter Three – The First Princess

The orphanage looked somewhat similar to the one they had previously visited, if not smaller and with a yellow thatched roof. As before, Scott made introductions in Elvish, and also as before some of the children shied away from Sausage. He took it in stride, and quietly walked around looking at some drawings that had been placed on the walls, hoping to acclimate the children to his presence and show he was harmless. He could hear Scott chatting with someone young but avoided the temptation to glance over, hoping he wouldn’t interrupt a possible candidate. He heard a negative response and tried not to worry. It might be too much to hope for another scenario where a child was more curious than put off by him being a human.

Yet instead, what Sausage heard next was a somewhat brash little voice calling up at him, “I’m having a tea party but no one wants to play tea party with me! You’re not playing with anyone, so do you want to come to my tea party?”

He looked down to see an indigo-eyed girl of perhaps somewhere around six or seven years old, with long, sapphire-colored hair that looped down one side of her pinkish-hued face. She tucked the loop behind her ear as she looked back at him. Sausage smiled gently. Well, maybe this was a good sign. “Yes, I’d love to.”

“Okay.” Without a second’s hesitation she grabbed his right hand and pulled him toward a small table. There were some small chairs already occupied by a few dolls arranged around it, but after she let go of him, she started moving them to make more space. “You’re too big – they always tell the bigger kids not to sit on these chairs or else they’ll break them! So, the dollies go here. You can sit in this spot, an’ I’ll sit over there an’ pour the tea. An’ then we talk about our fav’rite things ‘cause that’s what the growed-ups always do when they come here. Oh, an’ I’m Liana. I’m six an’ a half. We’re s’posed to tell our names an’ how old we are even when we’re just playing.” She gave a big sigh. “They don’t always play tea party, either. Okay, let me get you a cup.”

As he knelt in the indicated spot, Sausage couldn’t help finding her to be quite endearing. “I can get you another guest if you’d like.”

“Okay! I can take a cup from a dollie. They don’t act’lly use them, you know.”

Sausage turned and waved to get Scott’s attention. “Scott! Come have tea with us!” The elf raised an eyebrow, intrigued by where Sausage had ended up, but smiled as he walked over. “Scott, this is our hostess, Liana. Liana, this is my husband, Scott.”

“Hi. You didn’t say your name, you know. Let me move another dollie.” The little girl briefly wrestled one of the chairs to make room for Scott.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot my manners. My name is Sausage.”

She stopped and giggled. “That’s a silly name! But I had a friend named Buttercup, which is also silly, ‘cause a whole cup of butter is a lot! But she was nice, so it wasn’t a bad name. Just kind of silly. She went home last year. Okay, tea time, everybody sit.” Liana bustled back over to her hostess spot.

Scott nudged the chair the rest of the way over so he could kneel, then he sat back. He watched her pick up a small, unglazed clay tea pot that had been roughly painted by obviously childish hands. And was obviously empty. “That’s a nice tea pot, Liana. Did you paint it yourself?”

“No, I gots it from Melne when she went home. She gots it from somebody else, an’ they gots it from somebody else. I’m gonna give it to somebody when I go home so they can play tea party, too.” She poured the pretend-tea into the equally unglazed cups. “It’s hot so be careful!” She poured her own cup then sat and leaned over to blow on the cup. “Okay, now it’s colder.”

Scott and Sausage obliged by picking up their cups and pretending to take sips. Sausage snuck an amused smile over at Scott, then said, “This is very good tea. Thank you, Liana.”

“Yup! Okay, now you tell me some of your fav’rite things, then I’ll tell you more of mine.” She took a dainty pretend-sip from her cup then looked over at them expectantly.

Sausage decided to go ahead and talk about Bubbles, while Scott mentioned magic and cut to the chase by conjuring a small snow flurry over the table. Liana said she thought it was neat, then listed off her favorite dolls from around the table, but especially her bunny plushie that had always been with her and not a hand-me-down from the older kids and that one was on her bed because bunny needed a nap today. Then she asked, “Do you gots any other kids? Sometimes the growed-ups talk about their other kids an’ aren’t act’lly sure they want more.”

“We have two boys,” Sausage replied tentatively. “They’re at home, but we asked them if they would like to have a sister and they said yes.”

“Boys, huh?” Liana looked like she was considering the matter very seriously. “Well, boys don’t always like to play tea party, but that’s okay. ‘Scuse me.” She abruptly stood up and ran over to the caretaker across the room. “Hi, can I has cookies, please? I want to serve my guests. They need cookies with their tea!”

A giggle escaped Sausage. “Oh, she is precious. She doesn’t seem bothered about my arm or the… other thing.” He briefly reached up to touch his ear. “What do you think?”

“I think we have a match” Scott said, watching Liana skip back over clutching a container. She carefully set it down, then fished out one cookie at a time to place on the plates in front of them.

“Okay, wait for me to get back, then we can eat.” She carefully put the cover back on the container then returned it to the caretaker. “I only took one each, so’s not gonna spoil their dinner!” Once she returned, she dunked her cookie into her pretend tea and started munching on it. She then giggled and leaned toward them to whisper conspiratorially, “Sometimes I play tea party so’s I can gets extra cookies.” She giggled again, pleased to have shared her secret, then sat back to finish eating.

Sausage muffled another laugh, covering it up by hastily biting into his cookie. Scott ate his with a little more grace, then said, “We would be happy to get you your own tea set – and cookies – if you’d like to come live with us.”

“Can I gets one with bunnies on it?”

“You could even get one that you can paint yourself and put anything you want on it,” Scott replied. He reckoned they could probably request a specially decorated one from the potter, though.

“Okay. Can I bring my bunny, or do I has to hands-me-down it first?” She looked a little consternated by the choice.

Sausage could see the indecision in her eyes and felt he should encourage her in some way, as the tradition seemed important to her. “You can bring everything that is yours. But we can get you some new things, if you’d like to leave anything as a gift to someone else, like this tea set.”

“I really like my bunny… But I have a dress that Silvilana said she liked. She’s smaller than me but she can wear it when she gets bigger!”

“That’s very nice of you,” Scott said. “Thank you for the tea. We need to talk with the other grown-ups but we’ll see you in a little while.”

“Okay. Thanks for coming to my tea party. You were nice guests. Time to clean up!” Liana stacked the plates and hurriedly began to bring the assortment of items to a set of wooden cubby holes along the wall. She was trying to line up the dolls on top of them – not quite tall enough to reach – when another little girl came over to her. As Scott and Sausage walked toward the caretaker, they heard her call out, “Silvilana! I might gets two daddies! One of ‘em gots a metal arm!”

Scott was now the one to suppress a laugh. “Oh, my gods. She’s perfect. She’s just like you.”

“I don’t remember if I was like that at that age.”

“No, I’m talking about now.”

Sausage gave him a look questioning that observation. Scott gave him a frank look in return. Sausage bobbed his head for a moment as if in debate, then held his hands out in a gesture admitting the elf was right.

Soon paperwork was finalized and once again the royal stamp was eyed by the caretaker. “You’re… absolutely sure about her?” they asked, attempting to be tactful. “She’s not quite, well, princess material.”

Sausage deftly snapped the stamp up into his hand then whisked it away into his pocket. “We’re not looking for a princess. We’re looking for a daughter.” He smiled pleasantly and turned to go help with Liana’s bag, with Scott not far behind.

The little girl sat in a chair near the main door, humming and swinging her feet. She hopped up as they approached. She hugged her bunny plush tightly. “Time to go home! Do we have to go far?”

“It’s a little far,” Sausage admitted. “But we’ll get there before it’s dark out.” He then gave pause and lowered himself to one knee to be closer to her level. “I just want to ask you one thing before we go. You’ve been very nice about my arm. It does come off so it can be fixed, so you’ll see me without it. Is that okay?”

She looked over at his prosthetic thoughtfully, then placed her hand on the transparent crystal in the middle of his forearm. “A dollie’s arm gots pulled off one time but gots sewed back on. I could still play with her without it.”

“I also can’t sleep with it on, so it isn’t just when it needs to be fixed.”

“Well, yeah! Metal can’t be comfy to sleep on!”

Sausage smiled broadly at her. He felt Scott’s hand on his shoulder. “You have a very good point. Are you all ready to go?” He stood up and gave Scott a weaker smile. The elf patted his shoulder in response.

“Umm…” She turned to the door, then looked back toward the playroom. “I put away all the toys like I’m s’posed to. I put all my clothes in there. I have my bunny. I think I’m okay to go now.” She hugged the doll again, then reached up for Sausage’s hand while holding the bunny close with the other. “Let’s go home, um… Sau-sage an’, um…” When she sounded out his name it was the first time she seemed uncertain.

“You can call me Papa,” he offered.

Scott moved to get the door for them. “I’m called ‘Dad’.” Remembering what she had said to the other girl, he added, “Daddy is fine, too.”

“Papa, and Daddy. Okay.” Liana nodded, then quietly walked along out to the carriage. She wasn’t as enamored with it as the boys had been, instead only keeping a tight hold on her bunny as she watched Scott climb in. He took her bag from Sausage then held out his arms to help her in when Sausage lifted her up to reach the step more easily. She sat between them and once the carriage set off, she began humming again.

Scott let a few minutes pass before striking up conversation. “Liana, can I ask what you think about princesses?” Sausage shot him a bit of a worried glance; he had thought they would bring that up closer to home.

“They live in big castles an’ have pretty dresses an’ have pet horsies. They don’t ride the horsies too much, they just sit on them an’ look pretty, an’ a prince walks the horsie around so she doesn’t have to walk after he gives her a special shoe.”

There was clearly a very specific picture book that she associated the word princess with.

“Princesses can actually do all sorts of different things, including ride a horse around,” Scott said. “The big castle part is true, though.”

“Are we going to see a big castle? An’ meet a princess? That would be neat.” Her face fell a little bit. “I don’t gots a dress pretty enough to meet a princess. Everybody looks really pretty when they gets to meet a prince or princess.”

Sausage commented with a smile, “You’ll soon get to meet two princes, and they won’t mind if you have a fancy dress or not. But we can get you one.”

She perked up. “Can it be purple? I like purple. Melne had a purple dress, not as pretty as a princess’, but it was nice.”

“It can definitely be purple,” Scott replied. “If we get back home with enough time, we might be able to find one and you could wear it when you see the princes.”

“Are they your princes?” Liana asked with all the curiosity of the world in her voice, while leaving them stunned that she managed to make such a guess. “You said you gots two boys. So, two princes!”

“Ah, ehm,” Scott stammered. “How did you get that idea?”

She pointed at Sausage. “You’re tall like a king.”

“Me?” Sausage tried to sound innocent. “But he’s taller! I didn’t know height was a requirement for kings.”

“No, it’s ‘cause you’re like this.” Liana stood up and carefully walked toward the other seats, mindful of the motion of the carriage. She squared her shoulders and then sat, poised confidently with her back straight and head held high – a complete change from her own subconscious slouch when she had been sitting between them.

“I – I am??” Sausage asked in confusion, unaware of his apparently ingrained royal posture.

“When you sat at the tea party!” she insisted. “’Cause you were being serious! You were serious about playing pretend!” A grin spread across her face.

Scot failed to not share that grin as he turned to his husband. “She has you, there. Well, Liana, you have us figured out. We’re the rulers of Mythland. We wanted to keep it a secret so no one would think we were super-special.”

Liana’s face scrunched up into an exaggerated ‘thinking mode’. “Hmm. Kings pretending to be reg’lar people but are from a land of myths…” She peered over at them. “Are you also heroes who saved the world from a BIG monster that would’ve eated everything if somebody wasn’t brave enough to stop it?”

Sausage hastily hugged Scott to cover up their mutually shocked reactions, lamenting, “Scott, we have to keep her now! She knows our secret! We have no choice but to make her a princess who will be destined to save the kingdom from an even scarier monster in the future! Thank goodness we found her in time!”

Liana giggled. “No, that’s just pretend! I can be a reg’lar princess just having tea parties! An’ maybe ride a horsie.”

~*~

When the report came from the watchtower that a carriage was approaching, Bubbles and the boys ran out toward the stable yard – with Sir Carlos flapping in their wake, admonishing them to slow down in case one of them tripped.

Due to this, they all arrived after the carriage had parked, although they witnessed Sausage lifting an elven girl who was clutching a plush bunny doll down off the carriage steps. She spotted the boys and dashed over while Sausage was busy taking her bag from Scott. “Hi! You must be the princes! I didn’t have a dress for meeting princes an’ we didn’t have time to stop an’ look for one like Daddy said ‘cause we didn’t want to be late to dinner, so I’ll get one later. I’m Liana, an’ I’m six an’ a half!”

“Hi, Liana. I’m Azahar. I turned twelve last month, but… you don’t have to keep telling everyone your age now that you have a family.”

“Oh.” She looked up at him, baffled. “That’s what I was told I was s’posed to do when I meet new people. You’re my brothers ‘cause you’re Papa and Daddy’s sons, but you’re still new to me!” She then pivoted toward Elowen. “Hi!”

Her gregariousness seemed a bit much for the other boy, who stammered, “H-Hi, Liana. I’m Elowen. It – It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah! And this doggy is Bubbles, right? Hi, Bubbles! And this is—” Liana paused and peered down at Sir Carlos. “Nobody told me about a pet chicken! ‘Specially a chicken with armor! Papa!” She turned her head to look for Sausage. “Are you a king who has all sorts of knights, too? ‘Cause this chicken looks like a knight!”

Sir Carlos clucked – almost sounding more like a chuckle. “Young mistress Liana, I am Sir Carlos. I am, indeed, a knight.”

The little girl spun back to face him with her eyes wide. “You’re a talking chicken?! This place is like a fairytale story! Bubbles, are you magical, too??”

Elowen tugged on Azahar’s sleeve as the older boy stood stunned by the sheer amount of vivacious energy coming off the girl. Elowen whispered, “And I thought I got excited about cool things. Wait until she hears about the dragon…”

“There’s a pet DRAGON, too?!” Liana exclaimed.

Azahar now turned an amused smile toward his parents. Sausage hefted Liana’s bag over his shoulder and strolled past the children up the steps, trying to give off a casual air. “You, Liana, seem to have exceptional hearing. The story about the dragon will have to wait – I think I can smell dinner from here! Let’s rest up from all that travel and we can all talk more inside.”

“Okay!” Liana followed at his heels. “Is there a special princess chair? I’ve seen pictures of princesses sitting on big, fancy pillows. I don’t need a fancy pillow, but sometimes I need one to reach a table.”

Azahar and Elowen remained where they stood for half a minute longer, just staring after them and listening to their new sister’s voice echo off the stone as she continued to ramble. The older boy looked at Scott as he stepped between them to put a hand behind each’s shoulder, as if to nudge them out of their flummoxed states and start walking. “How—” Azahar flicked a pointing finger between Scott and the direction of Sausage’s back. “How did you—? She’s—??”

“…Just like Papa?” Scott finished for him with a smile. “There is a lot of magic in the world, and maybe fate does happen to be one of them.”

~*~

Liana gazed around as she continued to follow Sausage toward the staircase that led to the upper floors, where he intended to quickly stash her bag and maybe see if she would part with her bunny plush so she could go to dinner unhindered. “Papa, this castle is huge! It’s gonna take weeks an’ weeks to see all of it! How come you only gots two kids? You could fit elebenty hundred in here!”

Sausage laughed. “Well, we only decided we wanted kids last year. It would take a while to find that many! And there aren’t as many bedrooms as it looks like.  We would probably run out of space after the first elebenty, er, eleven. Azahar and Elowen share a room right now, but they might decide they each want their own later.”

“Who do I have a room with?” Liana asked curiously.

“Um… your bunny! But your room is right across from the boys if you need anything, and Dad and I are right down the hall.”

“What about these rooms?” She glanced left and right at the other doors they were passing.

“Those are guest rooms! Well, a few have some junk stored in them because I, uh, collect things. But when you or the boys make some friends, they’ll be able to stay over and sleep in one of them! Okay, here we are! See, there’s their room.” Sausage pointed with his foot to the open doorway on the left before finagling with the door across from it.

Liana wandered over to glance inside; she saw the two neatly made beds with Elowen’s teddy bear on the one farthest from the door, then she spotted the books and crowns sitting on the dresser. Her eyes widened with glee, but she kept the feeling reined in to just a broad smile as she turned and walked back over to survey her room. Two new beds and other furniture had been placed in it after the existing items had been moved to accommodate Elowen’s request to share.

Liana scurried over to the second bed and climbed up to lay her bunny against the pillows. “You’re right! Bunny gets a bed, too!” She hopped back to the floor and took a serious look around. “Hmm. I need to gets books. An’… An’ a crown. ‘Cause that’s what’s in Azahar and Elowen’s room.”

Sausage kept quiet for a moment, realizing for the first time as he put her clothes away in the dresser how few possessions Liana had been able to put in her bag… or, what had actually been put in it for her. The clothing seemed threadbare and was, perhaps, reserved for sending off with a child when it could no longer be handed down to another child who wore that size. He made a mental note to send a subsidy to that particular orphanage, and have a talk with Xornoth about checking fund distributions; he then added a note for himself to do the same there in Mythland.

He turned a bright smile toward Liana. “You can put whatever you want in here! It doesn’t have to be just books! Flowers, dollies, a pretty tea pot – even other bunny plushies!” She looked distressed for a second, so he added, “Bunnies that are friends for your bunny! That way yours can have company when you’re busy doing princess things!”

She seemed to think about it, then she nodded enthusiastically and carefully enunciated, “Thank you, Papa, I would like that.”

Sausage chuckled then scooped her up with his left arm, holding her on his hip with support from his right hand. “You’re welcome! Let’s go downstairs to dinner, and we can think about getting dollies and dresses tomorrow. In fact… We’re going to be late for dinner! I just noticed Dad and the boys didn’t follow us! They might eat everything before we get there! Hold on to me!”

Liana giggled and hugged his neck as he ran out of the room and tore down the hall, laughing with her until they reached the staircase, which he navigated more carefully until he neared the bottom. He bunny-hopped down the last few steps, making Liana giggle again. As they neared the dining room, she put her nose up into the air and crinkled it. “I can smell dinner now, too! Dinnertime! Dinnertime! Dinner with my new daddies an’ brothers!”

Sausage entered the room to see heartfelt looks on the faces of Scott and the boys due to having heard Liana’s joyful declaration. They had been making changes to how the table was arranged, with Scott and Elowen seated to the left of the head of the table and an extra chair added on the right next to Azahar that put Liana between him and Sausage. An additional purple cushion had been placed on this chair. Liana uttered a big, delighted gasp when she saw it as Sausage set her down on it. She wiggled a little, then whispered, “So there was a special princess chair…”

Elowen suppressed a giggle, while Azahar smiled gently at Liana. “You said you might need a pillow to reach the table, so we found one for you. Dad said you like purple.”

“I do! Thank you!” Liana crowed. She calmed down and said matter-of-factly, “I only need it for right now, though. I’m gonna grow up to be really tall, then I can reach all the fancy tables!”

Elowen fidgeted as the kitchen staff began to set out bowls of soup and small, individual baskets of warm bread rolls. He appeared as if he wanted to say something to Liana, but he waited while she thanked each person that walked past. After the staff withdrew, he blurted, “D-Do you think you’ll be really tall because your mom or your dad were tall?”

Liana had started munching on a bread roll and calmly spoke around the bite, “I don’t know my mommy or daddy. When I gots old enough an’ asked, the growed-ups told me I was a ‘doorstep baby’, an’ all I had with me was my bunny! So, they didn’t know about them to tell me.”

Azahar, Scott, and Sausage were startled by her candor. Azahar reached over to lightly pat Liana’s arm. “You and I have something in common, then.”

Liana’s eyes widened. “You gots left with just your bunny, too? But I didn’t see one in your room!”

Azahar laughed. “No, I think it was a handspun yarn blanket, and when I outgrew it, it was used for another baby, which I didn’t mind.”

“Oh, that’s a nice hands-me-down,” Liana said, nodding sagely as she took another bite of the roll. She chewed, then announced, “This is yummy bread!” She hummed happily until she finished eating the roll, then she looked across the table. “Elowen, did you hands-me-down anything? Was that your teddy bear I saw? It could be friends with my bunny!”

Elowen smiled weakly, having been poking his spoon at the vegetables in his soup. “I didn’t have anything like that. I got my teddy bear later.”

“Oh, okay,” Liana replied, oblivious to his dulled tone. “That’s a good reason to not hands-me-down! Daddy, Papa, do you have bunnies or teddy bears from when you was kids?”

With a mischievous look – and hoping to lighten Elowen’s mood – Sausage answered, “I only have Bubbles from when I was a kid!”

Liana shook her spoon at him. “Papa, Bubbles is a real doggy! You can’t pretend a real aminal is a toy!” She took a very serious first sip of her soup, as if she was the parent scolding the child, then her eyes lit up and she looked down at the bowl in wonder. “This is really good soup!” She ate two more quick spoonfuls before coughing when she started on a third.

“Slowly, Liana,” Scott gently chided. “It will still taste good if you eat slower. And to answer your question, I had a blue fawn plushie when I was little, although it ended up with the spots turned red because my brother tried to dye it with berry juice. We were never able to wash the stain out. But it was still my favorite.”

Liana gave an angry pout. “Your brother sounds mean! What if you gots another brother or sister after you, an’ you were gonna hands-me-down it to them, but they didn’t like red, an’ it made them cry! An’… An’ if he’s your brother, that makes him my uncle!” Her face fell into a sadder pout. “I don’t want a mean uncle.”

Scott chuckled. “Don’t worry, he wasn’t trying to be mean. He just wanted to do something silly. He thought it would wash out, too.”

Liana stood up on her chair and now shook her spoon at Scott, sending a few droplets of broth flying. “But no one should mess with someone’s fav’rite toy! It’s not nice! He shoulda tried it on his own toy first, so’s he would know how it feels!”

Sausage reached over to pinch the handle of her spoon between two fingers, creating a metallic tink sound. Putting some focus on his magic frequency, he sent a brief surge of energy through his prosthetic to make the gemstone at the wrist twinkle. The shine of this light through the translucent green cover atop his forearm  distracted her from her tiny outrage and she watched with fascination, although all he did was gently lower her hand.

Meanwhile, Azahar and Elowen traded looks across the table. The latter stammered, “Y-You’re very energetic, Liana. We were really nervous about becoming princes and were, um, very polite our first days here.”

Liana blinked at him. To Sausage’s relief, she put her spoon down altogether instead of gesturing with it again, so he withdrew his hand. “But it’s just dinnertime,” she replied. “It’s not a big ball with lotsa candles an’ people dancing in a big room with fancy dresses. We’re just being us, aren’t we?”

Sausage began to laugh. “She’s right! We’re just us right now. But you still shouldn’t stand on your chair, Liana, or wave utensils around at the same time – you might fall over into your soup!”

“Oh. Yeah, you’re right – it won’t taste good if I do that,” she agreed. She sat back down on the pillow and ate her soup with perfect manners, although after a point she grabbed another roll and proceeded to gobble it down while again proclaiming how yummy it was.

~*~

After a short lantern-lit tour to try to give Liana a sense of direction if she happened to get up during the night or possibly woke up early and decided to explore on her own – which, honestly, Sausage and Scott wouldn’t put past her but did request that she not do – everyone started getting ready for bed. Sausage tucked her in and asked if she would be alright in a room by herself, and assured her it was fine if she wasn’t, and asked if she would feel better if one of her brothers stayed in the room with her until she got used to it because this place was new to her and it was fine to be nervous, and—

Liana merely hugged her bunny and said she was okay, a big girl princess wouldn’t be scared of a castle and she had bunny to share the room with her, after all, and Azahar and Elowen seemed to like having a room together, so maybe that also meant one of them was scared to be alone at night, so she would be brave so that neither of them would have to be alone, and—

Scott broke up the mutual rambling session, gently pulling Sausage away from the doorway before wishing Liana a goodnight in Elvish to try to make it sound like a finality that everyone would go to sleep now. He elbowed Sausage, who hastily repeated the phrase while still looking worried about this first night in the castle. Yet, this only caused Liana to giggle, because Scott then corrected Sausage’s accent, telling his husband he had just told Liana to ‘have a good sneeze’.

Liana loudly repeated the misspoken phrase with another giggle, drawing laughs from across the hall. Sausage uttered a good-natured grumble about still working on his accent, then wished everyone goodnight again in Common.

The little girl laid down, bunny in her arms, and gazed at the ceiling while processing some of the sounds she was noticing; she was silently glad for the lanternlight coming in from the hallway, since the door had been left open in case she did happen to call for something.

It was only a few minutes later that Azahar came in to check on her. He sat down on the other bed as she sat up to tell him, “I told Papa I was okay. You can sleep in your room.”

“I just wanted to make sure,” Azahar said warmly. “I always tried to help new kids feel welcome in the place where Elowen and I used to live. I thought I could still do the same now.”

“But Daddy an’ Papa took me home! That means I am welcome!”

“Oh, well, yes. Of course it does. But if you have anything you’re, like, worried about or scared of, I can talk with you about it. Elowen was nervous about how big the castle was when we first got here, and we wondered if there might be ghosts.”

“Castles are s’posed to be big! An’… An’ ghosts aren’t scary!” Liana insisted, although she clutched her bunny plushie tightly. “Papa would have said something if there were ghosts!”

From out in the hallway came a high-pitched “OoOoOo~” noise, then Elowen leaned his head into the room. “Maybe Papa doesn’t know there are ghosts. Maybe they only show themselves to certain people. Like little children…”

Azahar shot him a look of warning; Elowen gave a mischievous grin. Liana, meanwhile, protested, “Stop tryin’a scare me! You’re being mean brothers!”

“Shhh,” Azahar tried to quiet her, holding his hands up to calm the situation. “Let’s not worry Dad or Papa. They need to rest from traveling, too. Elowen, that wasn’t nice. We should teach her how to chase away the ghosts first.” He snuck a grin at the other boy.

Liana scowled. “I don’t believe you! There aren’t any ghosts! Kingdoms that have talking chickens an’ dragons don’t have stupid scary things like ghosts! There would be REAL monsters! Now get outta my room, I wanna go to sleep!” She glared mightily at them.

Elowen stood straight upright, incidentally hopping into the middle of the doorway. “Oh, I see – you’re scarier than ghosts would be! Oh, time to run away! I’m gonna hide under my blanket from a scary little sister!” He turned tail to run to the other room.

Azahar stared after him. “This is… not how I meant this to go…”

“Hmph!” Liana put her chin in the air. “That’s what you get for tryin’a scare me! Now go away!” She emphatically turned and pulled the blanket up over herself.

“Okay, well… Um, sorry, Liana. I really do want to help. That was just some silly fun to make your first night here less scary—”

“I don’t care! Time for sleep! Say sorry at breakfast, an’ maybe I won’t be as mad at you!”

“Heh, okay.” Azahar wished her goodnight in Elvish, then left.

Liana hugged her bunny under the covers. “Mean… There’s no ghosts. There can’t be ghosts. My new daddies are secret heroes… Ghosts don’t haunt heroes. Unless they’re good ghosts… I don’t wanna see a ghost floatin’ through the wall, but maybe they’re helpful ghosts… An’… An’ they don’t try to scare little girls who’re tryin’a be brave even though they’re in a big, giant castle for the first time, an’ just met everyone…”

She heard a brief scraping sound; she let out an involuntary whimper, clutching her bunny tighter. Something jumped onto the bed, and then a wet nose came sniffing around the edge of the blanket. There was a very soft, “Arf?” then a weight settled down beside her.

Liana put her hand out and ended up grasping a fistful of short fur. She lightened her grip, then surreptitiously began to pet the furry creature. She whispered, “It’s time for sleep, Bubbles. You can stay in my room, though. You’re a big, brave doggie. Goodnight.”

~*~

Sausage was the first awake the next morning, and he didn’t even wait for Scott to be up to help him don his prosthetic before he padded out of the room without it so he could check on Liana. Things were a little different from Azahar’s and Elowen’s first night in Mythland; they were older, for starters, and had the familiarity of each other for company. Sausage had heard some of the kerfuffle among the three children at bedtime, but it hadn’t seemed too alarming, and everyone quieted down soon after.

He glanced into the boys’ room just to see if Liana had gone to them – either from reassurance during the night, or if she had already woken up and was there to chat. Instead, he saw both boys still in bed, although they were awake. Azahar was doing some arm stretches while Elowen yawned loudly – but he used a quiet tone when he spotted Sausage and said, “Good morning, Papa.”

“Good morning,” Sausage replied, also keeping his voice down. “I’m just checking up on everything. I’ll see you at breakfast in a bit.” He gave a little wave, then crossed to the other side of the hall.

Liana was sleeping soundly, lying on her back with her bunny in range of her right hand, while her left hand rested beside a furry black and tan lump that was curled up next to her. Sausage smiled and whispered, “Good girl, Bubbles.”

The interdimensional Yorkie lifted her head and turned it to peer at him. She wagged her tail and made a silent bark. Then she jumped up, did a one-eighty turn in the air, and licked Liana’s hand. The little girl stirred, mumbling, “Bubbles… stop tryin’a eat me… You’re s’posed to eat the scary ghosts…”

“Bubbles,” Sausage called in an exaggerated whisper, “I thought we chased off the ghosts. Did you find one more and tell our new daughter about it?”

Liana abruptly sat bolt upright, causing Bubbles to jump off the bed and run past Sausage out of the room. He smiled after her, turning so that the cuff covering his stump was visible – due to his nightshirt lacking a sleeve on that side. Liana declared, “I knew there wouldn’t be any real ghosts! Azahar an’ Elowen tried to scare me, but I didn’t believe them! Bubbles was just sleepin’ here ‘cause she wanted company! I wasn’t scared!” She then blinked and stared at Sausage���s right side. “Oh. That’s not like the dollie’s arm. Her whole arm came off.”

Sausage smiled gently and cupped the end of his stump with his left hand as he entered the room. “Yeah, the dragon only ate part of it. I usually put on my metal arm when I get up in the morning, but I really wanted to make sure you slept alright last night. So, the boys tried to scare you, huh?”

Liana’s eyes went wide and, aghast, she yelled, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE DRAGON ATE IT?! I thought it was a pet dragon, or knight dragon, like the chicken!!”

Sausage winced at her volume. “Oh, ha, we didn’t tell you the whole story yesterday.” He sat down on the side of the bed with his left arm toward her, but she crawled over to sit on his right, so he turned, leaving them both sat on the end facing the doorway. “Dad and I, along with our friends – your new Uncle fWhip and Aunt Gem – fought an angry dragon – or, a dragon-like creature.” Sausage’s own eyes brightened with merriment as he thought of a way to embellish the story, because Liana was hanging onto his every word. “We didn’t know what it really was, but it was fierce, and it was hungry! I attacked it with my sword – whap-pow! – but it just opened its big mouth and bit down on not only my sword, but most of my arm! Dad used his magic to freeze it, then rescued me, and Auntie Gem healed me. She did a good job, but the beast had already finished its meal and we couldn’t get it back to stick it back on, so Uncle fWhip made me a new arm!”

Liana fairly vibrated from excitement. “So, you did stop a monster that would have eated everything!”

Sausage uttered a slightly nervous laugh. “Well, sort of. It seemed like it was happy to eat only my arm. But we put a stop to it, just in case.”

Liana went quiet, looking as if she was pondering a very serious matter, then said, “Papa, do you think the dragon-creature’s ghost would haunt the castle?”

“Nope! I think you already know what would happen – Bubbles would eat it!”

“That’s true,” Liana replied in an upbeat tone. She then tilted her head. “Can I see it? Y-Your arm? Um, the part the dragon didn’t eat?” She gestured to the buttoned cuff, her expression the epitome of childlike curiosity. “Oh, wait, ummm… Is it okay to ask that?”

“Sure! I don’t mind! It’s not scary, it just has a scar like my face.” Sausage began to undo the buttons on the side of the cuff.

“Did the monster scratch your face, too??”

“No, that was from an… accident. With a Blood Sheep. You don’t want to mess with the Blood Sheep. They’re powerful, like Bubbles! But as long as they have plenty of grass to graze, they won’t try to eat little girls.”

“What’s a Blood Sheep? There were sheep near where I lived, but no one ever said they were dangerous!”

“Umm… I’ll show you after breakfast!” He rolled the cuff upward and held the remainder of his arm up for Liana to examine. She noted the wide line of scar tissue on the end and began to reach to touch it, but pulled her hand back, murmuring to herself, “Nope, that might be rude, too. You gots to ask first.” She screwed up her face in thought, then pulled up the sleeves of her nightgown and – after a moment of deliberating – held her left arm up next to his stump to give herself an idea of where it might match up.

Sausage smiled, amused by her train of thought. He then caught movement by the door from the corner of his eye. Scott was there with a look of consternation, one of his braids coming loose as if he hadn’t had time to complete it, and he held the prosthetic in his hands. Sausage gave him a little nod, then raised a finger in a ‘one minute’ gesture. Scott shook his head and pointed down at the prosthetic, then off to the side, indicating that Sausage should get moving. “Well, Liana, if you have any more questions about it, I can answer them later. We should get going and have breakfast!”

Scott gestured more insistently. Sausage hopped up and hurried over to ask about the rush, but Scott immediately ushered him back to their room. “There’s a raven waiting for you. It came from the western border. You need to go over there right away.” The raven in question was sitting on the windowsill, an open scroll under one foot.

Sausage quickly pulled off his nightshirt to allow Scott to help him attach the prosthetic. “But we were going to go shopping for Liana after breakfast.” His mouth fell into a little pout.

“It’s urgent. I’ll take her and the boys out, don’t worry.” Not waiting for Sausage to move faster, Scott started dressing his husband shirt-first.

Sausage, meanwhile, gave him a sad-eyed look, his pout intensifying. He did, however, cooperate with getting dressed for travel.

Scott chuckled softly. “I know, I know. You were looking forward to it. You’ve become very fond of her rather quickly.”

“I can’t help it! She’s so charming and… and… we didn’t have a chance to stop yesterday to get her the dress she wanted…” Sausage continued to pout, then tapped the tips of his index fingers against each other while looking aside as he mumbled, “But I guess she can spend time with her new dad, too…”

“Sau-sage,” Scott said, “They think there’s a Warden loose in the caves near the town. If it weren’t for Liana, I would go, too, but I don’t want to leave her on her first day here. And it’s better if you’re the one to meet with the townsfolk, especially if you need to get Tango’s help for Warden wrangling.”

Sausage’s expression changed instantly. He rushed to get his boots on, then grabbed his customized elytra from the armor stand in the corner. He shrugged it on, then went to the window to read the scroll for himself, checking the name of the town. Then he climbed into the window. The raven croaked and flew off ahead of him to let the distressed townsfolk know their king was on his way. “I’ll find breakfast on the way. Tell the kids I love them and I’ll be back soon!”

“Good luck!” Scott called after him as Sausage launched himself out of the window frame. Scott then finished getting himself sorted for the day and went to tell the children of the change in plans. He caught up to the boys as they were heading out of their room, and asked them to wait while he checked if Liana was ready to go downstairs.

He found her fully dressed in one of the patched outfits she had brought home with her, the leggings in decent shape – but no shoes yet, since she was jumping on the second bed trying to look out the high, narrow window. Scott was about to question her but she turned and exclaimed, “I heard a loud bird! An’ I looked up an’ saw Papa flying by the window! He doesn’t have bird wings like elves!” She leapt down from the bed and ran over to Scott, demanding, “Why is he flying? How is he flying?!”

Perhaps startled by her announcement, Azahar and Elowen ran over to the doorway. Scott looked around at the three children, silently wishing Sausage had chosen a different direction to go. “I was just coming to tell all of you: Papa had a sudden, important request for help from a town, and it’s his job as king to go in person, especially because he might need some extra help.” Scott then realized what Sausage’s choice of direction meant. “It sounds like he was going to get that help, actually, because Tango the Blaze Emperor – boys, you might remember him from your gala – is a specialist at wrangling the creature that the townsfolk are having a problem with, and the best place to find him is our neighbor, the Cod Empire.”

Azahar was about to make a humorous comment about Tango being rather memorable for appearing to be on fire, but Liana cut him off. “Our neighbors are fish?! How do fish have an empire?? Don’t fish just swim around in the water all day? Isn’t a blaze like a fire? Wouldn’t that boil the water? Oh! Is he really good at cooking fish?”

Elowen giggled. Scott was once again struck by how similar Liana and Sausage were. As he stifled a laugh of his own, Azahar explained, “There are people who can breathe underwater and have the appearance of different types of sea life. The Cod Empire is ruled by Jimmy, who is a fish-like man. His sister, Lizzie, rules the Ocean Empire, and looks like a giant blue axolotl. Tango, however, is a blazeman-hybrid. He does have a kingdom of his own underground, a little far away from here, but he is good friends with Jimmy, who is teaching him about life on the surface – teaching him about people like us, who are different from what he’s used to.”

Liana seemed to be listening with fascination. “So, there’s lotsa other kingdoms besides Rivendell an’ this land of myths? But those people all sound like they’re myths!”

Scott now openly chuckled. “Our kingdom is literally named Mythland. Sir Carlos can explain the history better than I can, but it has its roots in an even older kingdom with a great – if lost – legacy. You’ll learn all about these things when we have school lessons later. We’ll figure out what type of lessons you need another day, though. After breakfast we’re going to do some shopping in town and find that dress you wanted, and you can show it to Papa when he gets home.”

Liana looked disappointed for a second as she stepped back. She glanced toward the window. Then she gave a decisive nod and ran to the dresser to take out a pair of socks. She sat down on the floor to pull them on. “Okay, Daddy. We’ll… surprise Papa by finding a really pretty one! An’… he’ll see… he’ll see that we could find one, even if not all of us was there to look at ev’rything.” She scooted over to her shoes to put them on next. Afterward, she lifted her chin proudly to show she was being a big girl and not upset that her new papa wasn’t also going with them.

Scott, of course, noticed her lip tremble. “He’ll be with us in spirit. He really wanted you to get that purple dress, and since we don’t know how long it would take to help the townsfolk, I said I would take you out to get one.” Thinking he had cottoned on to the problem, he said, “You know, this can also be a way for you to impress him by telling him about all the things you saw in town! It will be like your own adventure in your new home.”

Elowen piped up, “Y-Yeah, Liana, and we can show you some of the cool things we’ve discovered when we’ve gone out around town.” He gestured to himself and Azahar. “We can show you where the winter market was, and where the regular shops are that sell fun stuff!”

“No,” Liana said in a firm, yet calm, tone. “When Daddy an’ Papa came to my old home, they both played with me. So, they should both be there for other fun!” As if that should settle the matter, she walked past Scott and went between the boys, grabbing Azahar and Elowen by the hand. “Okay, breakfast time! You gots to eat a good breakfast before you go out!”

~*~

“Jimmy!! Tango!!” Sausage’s voice rang out over the sea-facing border of the Cod Empire as he flew over, hoping to get the attention of one of them. “I need help with a Warden problem!!”

The door of the fishing shack flew open – presumably from the force of Tango’s kick, seeing as he came out with one upraised foot leading. “Warden?? Where?! Oh, hi! Hi, neighboring Sausage-king-person.” Tango looked eager for details, but waited for Sausage to circle around to make a non-watery landing.

Jimmy wandered out of the shack a moment later, yawning and rubbing one eye. “Sausage, it’s too early for monster wrangling…”

The King of Mythland didn’t bother closing his elytra. “Not when they wander up to the surface overnight! I’ve got a small town in need, and I don’t have a lot of time today, so I thought I’d call on the expert to get it done faster. Oh, and you can help, too, Jimmy.”

The Codfather gave him a disgruntled look, while Tango straightened up proudly. “Of course! Professional wranglers here, at your service.”

“Great,” Sausage said. “Now grab some elytra and follow me! I need to get back a-sap!”

“I’ll get them!” Tango chirped. “I haven’t flown around much. Some practice will be great! fWhip even made me some fireproof ones.” He scurried back inside the shack.

Jimmy waited outside, taking note of Sausage’s clearly bright mood despite the apparent threat. “You’re in quite the hurry. What is going on that you need to rush back? Do you have something nice planned with the princes?”

“Jimmy…” Sausage clapped his left hand onto the Codfather’s shoulder and feigned a somber attitude, then overrode it with a wide grin. “Scott and I just became the proud fathers of a little girl! We brought her home last night! This is our first full day with her, and I have to go deal with some stupid Warden that couldn’t stay in the Deep Dark.” As he spoke, his fingers tightened, digging into Jimmy’s shoulder; Sausage’s grin turned into a clenched-tooth grimace of aggravation.

Jimmy endured it, then pried Sausage’s hand off. “Well, uh, congratulations, and I’m sorry you have a rogue Warden to deal with, today of all days. What’s her name? What’s she like? Hey, it’s actually kind of nice to find out ahead of time instead of a gala invite out of the blue.”

“Oh, Jimmy, she’s the sweetest little elf. Her name is Liana, she’s six and a half years old – she seems to like insisting on the ‘and a half’ part – she loves to talk and ask things and have tea parties, and I can’t wait to see her running around with Bubbles and the boys and having fun together—!!” Sausage pressed the palms of his hands against his cheeks and all but squeed with joy.

“Oh my gosh, Sausage.” Jimmy’s mouth crinkled up in amusement. “She’s got you wrapped around her finger, and it hasn’t even been a whole day! That’s so sweet, man. I’ll look forward to meeting her. Y’know, before or at her debut gala.” He grinned teasingly.

Tango returned before Sausage could comment. He handed Jimmy his elytra, then shrugged his own on. “Alright, now to take care of this little Warden issue. Lead on, Your Highness!” Tango glanced over to see Sausage still in jubilant father mode. “Uh…what’s with him?” he asked Jimmy.

“He has discovered the joy of having a daughter. Give him a second, then you can try using your Warden roar to snap him out of it.”

~*~

The shopping trip quickly became a spectacle of Liana delighting each and every shopkeeper they passed, between her customary announcement of her name – although she cut back on mentioning her age unless someone asked – and her exuberant curiosity about differences she noticed between elven and Mythlandian culture.

Scott opted for the general and practical clothing shops rather than going straight to the tailor; that would be reserved for a special trip closer to a certain date. He left Liana under the supervision of either Azahar or Elowen depending on which one he was assisting at the time – Elowen’s leggings were starting to come up short on him, and Azahar’s shirts were becoming tight across his chest and arms.

Meanwhile, Liana would babble to the shopkeeper and whichever brother was in attendance at the time of how she wanted to look at anything in purple or that had a picture of a bunny on it. Scott would then look through those offerings with her, and she tried on the ones that looked like they might fit. If anything happened to be slightly too big, like in the case of corduroy overalls with a rabbit embroidered on the front pocket, Scott bought it anyway with the idea that it could be stored for the future.

By the time they were done they had amassed six large parcels, the clothing neatly folded and secured with twine, but a bit much to carry home even when Scott tested out carrying them on a gust of cold air with magic. The final shopkeeper agreed to hold onto the lot until Scott could send someone down with a cart to pick it up.

Liana had actually gotten quiet by that point, watching as the parcels were stashed in the shop’s back room. She fidgeted for a moment, then yelled, “Thank you for watching our stuff! When I’m bigger I’ll come back for more bunny dresses! So please have some more!”

The shopkeeper chuckled on his way back to the floor. He dusted off his hands and nodded to Liana. “Sure thing, little Miss. You just let me know when you start outgrowing those, and I’ll put in a special princess order.”

“Yay! Thank you, mister clothes shop owner! DADDY!” she then yelled to Scott, “Thank you for the nice dresses!! Maybe when I outgrow them, we can send them to Silvilana an’ the others! But maybe by then Silvilana will have nice daddies, too! Or nice mommies! Or a nice daddy and mommy? I don’t know, but I hope she goes home, too! An’ the others, an’ then maybe they won’t need my clothes, but there always seemed to be new kids coming in, an’ they should have nice stuff, too—”

Scott patted her on the head. “We’ll look into it when the time comes. Right now, we have one more stop to make, then we’ll go home for lunch and see if Papa is back to eat with us.”

“Are we getting something for you an’ Papa next?” Liana asked, puzzled, as they walked out and headed down the street. “You haven’t gotten anything yet! Ev’ryone should get something, it’s only fair! You were nice an’ gots us lots!” She looked at Azahar and Elowen, expecting them to agree.

Elowen nodded. Azahar chuckled. “She’s right, Dad. You should get a tunic with a rabbit on it. A blue one.”

Scott laughed. Liana jumped forward with both feet to keep pace with his steps, proclaiming, “Or a blue fawn! Ev’ryone should get a picture of their fav’rite thing!”

“You have a point, Liana,” Scott agreed. “But as King Regnant, I have to wear what other grown-ups consider to be dignified clothes.” When she stopped jumping in order to pout up at him, he added, “Maybe I could get something like that on a night shirt.”

Her face brightened. “Yeah! Then you just put on a kingly robe over it to hide it from boring growed-ups!”

They all laughed at the idea, then Scott proceeded to make up increasingly silly scenarios where someone might find out he had pastel blue fawn pajamas. This continued as they traveled along the streets until another clothing shop came into view. The sign hanging outside depicted a formal ball gown. Liana’s eyes widened when she saw the window display. She whispered, “Dresses for meeting princesses…” She then froze on the spot, realizing that she now was that princess.

Scott went to the door and held it open to allow the children to enter first. “You could say this is something for Papa and I: to keep our promise to you.”

Liana hopped up and down, then once again grabbed her new brothers by their hands. “Look, look! Now we can see what I shoulda been wearing to meet you! Now I can fit in with princes!”

Azahar tried to say, “Liana, you were fine meeting us just as you were—” but the words got lost as she pulled them into the shop.

The shopkeeper hurried over as soon as she noticed who had entered. “Your Highness! Young princes! I see you brought a little friend! How may I help you?”

Surprisingly, Elowen was the one to answer. “We need a fancy dress for our new sister.” Scott felt a surge of pride over the younger boy speaking up, yet realized that – perhaps – it was Liana’s energy rubbing off on him that had encouraged him.

Liana hopped up and down again. “That’s me! I’m the princess! An’ I need to look like one! Daddy gots me some nice new things, but Elowen’s right! Princesses need one really fancy dress!”

The shopkeeper looked toward Scott. “How wonderful! My congratulations to you and Lord Sausage! Your family just keeps growing, doesn’t it? What are you looking for in your fancy dress?”

Together Scott and the boys all chorused, “Purple” at the same time, answering even as Liana was opening her mouth.

The little girl giggled and then smiled up at the shopkeeper. “Please, may I see your finest pretty purple dresses?”

~*~

Sausage glanced around the interior of the cave nervously, then hissed, “When I asked you guys for help, I thought Jimmy would be the bait, not me!”

The Codfather grinned from his hiding place behind the pile of rocks that was closer to the entrance than Sausage’s position. He whispered in reply, “Of course I’m not the bait. I’m a professional wrangler now. Don’t worry, Sausage! We’ll get you home to your kiddos in one piece. Relatively speaking.”

Sausage wanted to glare in Jimmy’s direction, but the clacking of Warden antennae made him return his focus to the device nestled behind his ear that connected him to the magic frequency operating his prosthetic, allowing him to control it remotely. The prosthetic was currently secured above a button that would turn on a noise machine, which was intended to lure the stray Warden toward a web of ropes set up to snare the creature. It had wandered deeper into the cave system for the moment, but that didn’t guarantee it wouldn’t wander back out again. “You know what - You know what? If my arm gets damaged, you get to explain to fWhip why!”

Tango, hidden across from Jimmy, replied in a flat tone, “Better your fake arm than your whole, real body.” He was in a strict focused mode now. The change in his demeanor started slow after they had spoken with the townsfolk, the bravest of whom took the three to the road that ran near the cave system where a farmer making an early delivery to the town had heard the frightening sounds of a Warden stomping around. The farmer fled without confirming it, but a few intrepid townspeople investigated, only to flee as soon as they heard it and the tell-tale heartbeat for themselves.

Tango’s blithe attitude toward a potential adventure disappeared completely once the three of them had scoped out the cave; they all immediately went on alert at the sound of the creature sniffing around, and the way Tango launched into an analysis of the terrain led Sausage to not even question the plan when it was first proposed.

Now he was feeling uncertain, however. Tango was correct to use Sausage’s prosthetic to activate the noise machine, avoiding any of them being too close to the Warden after it became attracted to the sound, but Sausage himself still needed to be within a specific range of his prosthetic for the signal to carry. “Tango, I think I like you better when you’re hyper and slightly weird. ‘Serious-Tango’ scares me. This had better work. I want to be able to hug my kids with both arms when I get back.”

Tango uttered a strange sort of squawk. “Shush your face! I can feel it stomping this way again! … Wait for it… Wait for it… Now!”

Sausage could see the glow of the Warden’s open chest and antennae around the corner. He gulped, then directed his prosthetic’s hand to slam down onto the button. The noise machine started up. The Warden grunted and the glow coming off it shifted directions as it lumbered toward the machine.

Sausage suppressed a squeak of relief as he ducked behind cover. He left the rest to the professionals as they sprang into action. He put his attention on the device again to remain aware of whether or not the Warden happened to smash his prosthetic or not – rather than watch it occur with his own eyes. Out of sight there, he could also keep his dramatic worries to himself, quietly whimpering and theatrically crying as he imagined a scenario of him returning home without the prosthetic because he would have had to drop it off at The Grimlands for fWhip to repair, and then Liana and Elowen might even stare at his right side and the lack of arm, and he would get ten thousand bazillion questions about their own imagined scenarios before he could explain, and surely he should make it sound more amazing than just using it to push a single button, and meanwhile Scott and Azahar would probably stand there looking amused because, well, Scott knew the situation, and Azahar would be quick to catch on although he would still be entertained by the adventurous aspect, but Sausage ­still­ wouldn’t be able to hug everyone or pick up Liana and assure her that he was alright, and that they could still have fun the rest of the day, and… [To Be Continued in Chapter Four: The Parties and The First Dreams]

[prismadog]

Found Family AU: Gold [Emptober 3rd]

so, originally before actually writing the post below, I had only a couple different ideas that would've been crammed into one story (somehow). but...it's gone a completely different way than I originally intended - which is a good thing! I like the way it turned out!

but...it's also a lot longer than I planned so...gonna have to add a keep reading line thing so that the post doesn't take up a lot of room on the scrolly dash thingy.

anyway, enjoy! I'm tired now so I'm gonna go take a nap

-

Gold

what is gold to you?

to Xornoth, resident demon of the server and father of a wild gnome, gold holds more than one use.

gold used to be the color of the Gods, of Aeor specifically, and it used to be the color of jewelry worn by the elves, worn by themself in another life. elves would not only drape themselves in the substance but gift it to those they loved dearly.

now, gold is the color of their gnome's eyes, the way they glitter in the light. gold is warmth and happiness, and the love she shows them, gives to them unconditionally. without her, they would surely perish.

-

what is gold to you?

to Shrub, little gnome and child of a demon, gold is only one thing and it is love and protection.

her father, the creature who found her and cared for her when others would not, gifted her a ring, a golden ring. they imbued it with magic in its creation and they practically drowned the ring with the love in their heart. they enchanted it with all kinds of protection - health and strength and fire resistance and others she doesn't even know about.

gold is love. gold is protection. without the demon, without her father, she wouldn't have been able to survive the merciless world around her.

-

what is gold to you?

to Scott, elfking of Rivendell and follower of Aeor, gold has only a couple of uses, a couple of meanings, one religious and one personal.

gold is the conduit of Aeor's magic, it is a sign of the Stag God's protection, it is a testament to Him from his followers. elves wear gold not only as a statement to their class but as a sign that they love their God. the elves gift it to those they hold near and dear to their hearts.

but gold holds another meaning to the elf. it is the color of someone he dreams about: the messy locks on his head, his smile hidden behind a mask, the happiness he brings to those around him. it is the color of his aura, golden waves that outshine the sun.

-

what is gold to you?

to Joey, the King of the Lost Empire, to the man who wants to rule over all the other kingdoms, gold only means one thing and one thing only.

gold is power. it is the power to outlive those around him, below him. it is strength and might, intelligence and perfection. gold is the totems of Undying he holds in his hands, it is a material imbued with ancient magics by long-dead ancestors and cast into a form. it prolongs life and keeps one from truly dying.

gold is power. when he dreams of his future, when he imagines standing above the other rulers, he is golden. he radiates power and might, strength and intelligence, he is above them, he is better than them.

that is what gold is to the Mad King.

-

what is gold to you?

to Sausage, the Dwarf King of borrowed magics, gold can only mean one thing and that is friendship, and maybe one day love?

it is the color of her aura, the radiant smile she gives him. it is the color of the sunflowers, never wilting, never fading, that sit in a crown upon her head.

she is golden, brighter than the sun and more beautiful than anything he's ever seen. when she's near, he feels lighter than air, he feels blessed.

if only he could tell her how he feels.

-

what is gold to you?

to Pearl, Guardian of the Harvest, farmer Queen of Smallholding, it is but a simple thing.

gold is the sunlight streaming down from the heavens to warm her crops. gold is the wheat that she plants and cultivates for all around her. gold is the sunflowers that dot her land. gold is the color of a duck's feathers, glistening in the sunlight after their morning swim.

gold is Life, plain and simple.

-

what is gold to you?

to Katherine, Queen of the Flower Fields, Guardian of the Overgrown, it is beauty in its purest form.

gold is the love she holds for her friends, her people, her allies. it is the color of the sunflowers that stand tall, the color of the dandelions that grow wild and free. gold is the sunlight that gives life to her flowers, to her land, to her people. gold is half the color of her bees, bumbling away happily and making honey.

gold is beautiful.

-

what is gold to you?

to Pixlriffs, the Copper King, the Prophet of Lady Death, there is religious meaning and another more abstract.

gold is the color of one's soul, it is the color of their spirit, provided they lived a decent life and not one of moral sin. a man's soul is born pure, more brilliant than the sun above, and it stays relatively the same until Lady Death claims them as Her own - at least, so long as they don't give themselves up to the darkness that wishes to corrupt.

but gold, it can also be the goods that bees produce, the color of their homes. they meticulously make combs in their hives and they diligently fill the comb with glistening, dripping honey. the color of honey is perhaps Pixl's favorite.

-

what is gold to you?

to Gem, Wizard of the Crystal Cliffs, gold is only one thing.

gold is magic, plain and simple. it's not the color of her magic, her's is a glittering sparkling iridescent purple. but it is the color of those around her, their auras, the magic they wield, that lives in their veins.

it's a beautiful color, the golden magic.

-

what is gold to you?

to fWhip, Count of the Grimlands, mad tinkerer and alchemist, gold is something different.

gold is the flames of his forge, burning hot and long. it freely melts his resources and casts them in a form stronger than before. gold is the heat that keeps his lands, his home, scorching, blazing hot.

gold is the sun, the eternal flame, in his forge, in his heart, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

-

what is gold to you?

to Jimmy, Codfather of the Swamps, simple man living a simple life, it doesn't mean a whole lot.

gold is a resource, a material that others use. he himself doesn't really have a use for it, it's meaningless to him. but, that's not entirely true, is it? there is one thing that he thinks of when he imagines gold.

and it is the color of another being, a powerful fearless ruler that sits high above the world in his mountains. it is the air around this ruler, the life he breathes, the color of his jewelry he drapes over his body.

he is gold and far more valuable than a simple mer.

-

what is gold to you?

to Lizzie, Queen of the Ocean, fearless Lady of the Sea, gold is simple.

gold is the color of the axolotls in her care, not all of them of course, but a good share. it is the way they look at her, to her, for guidance. their smooth skin practically glows like the sun in the darkness that is the ocean.

gold is also the color of the coral, again, not all the coral, but a good amount of it. it dots the Oceans, a beacon in the blue, bright and unwavering in its brilliance.

she likes the gold on the axolotls most.

-

what is gold to you?

to Joel, King of clones, bringer of Life to the harsh land that is the mesa, it's got only one meaning, one use.

gold is a building material, nothing more, nothing less. it can be the resource itself, looking like a melted butter stick when mined. or it could be the concrete he makes in his factory.

either way, gold is only a material meant for building, for accents. plain and simple.

-

what is gold to you?

[prismadog]

I found an incorrect quote that would fit Shrub and Xornoth of my Found Family AU!

Shrub: I made this friendship bracelet for you.

Xornoth: You know, I’m not really a jewelry person.

Shrub: You don’t have to wear…

Xornoth: No, I’m gonna wear it forever. Back off.

[prismadog]

*Edit: had to come back here and redo the links due to a username change. everything should work now but if not, lemme know!

Master Post

Found Family AU character facts/background

so yup, master post is here. first time I'm making one but it only seems convenient to have one since there's so many cf/b posts [there's 7, Mykael. it's only 7, that's not that many].

I did notice, while writing the last couple of posts that there might be some...discrepancies, ya know, things that don't line up exactly, but honestly, I'm not going back through and changing them. I used a lot of energy on those and I just wanna move on to getting back to more Shrub and Xornoth content - I miss my little Shrub and her demon dad.

I also noticed that each new post kept getting longer and longer, and harder to condense down, so I'm sorry for that. I think I just got tired and stopped trying. but hey, that just means more content for you wonderful people out there!

also also, I might be writing some one-shots/short stories featuring some of the characters in their lives before our beloved Shrub shows up. idk yet but I do have a couple ideas tumbling around in my brainspace.

anyway! onto the master post! that's why you're all here, after all [I really hope it's for more than just my crappy posts, but I'll take what I get]

.

Part #1: Xornoth and Shrub

Part #2: Lady Sun and Scott

Part #3: Sausage and Joey

Part #4: Katherine and Pearl

Part #5: Gem and fWhip

Part #6: Lizzie and Jimmy

Part #7: Joel and Pixl

.

Bonus Links!

first Found Family AU post

first ask!

reblog question thingy!

second ask! [though it's more of a suggestion than a question]

first [and probably only but maybe not?] incorrect quote!

random Roseblings headcanon [this has little to do with the AU, I just wanna complete the rainbow]

a reminder to you lovely wonderful amazing people out there! [again, little to do with the AU but I love you guys and want to make sure you're all happy and healthy]

* you don't know how much it pains me not to have these in a rainbow. like, I am seriously hating this - for once, my OCD is hard to ignore. but I can't change it. I won't change it.

also, did you guys notice that [at least on desktop] that the rainbow options are out of order? they go: black red orange green blue yellow pink purple

like, seriously tumblr - and I'm saying this with love - you're downright mad if you think that's what the rainbow order is.

*sigh* I love this clown-circus garbage heap of a site.

[prismadog]

I had a fic idea, kinda inspired by shyrose57's Responsibility AU except it wouldn't be like their au - btw, check out their au, they have so many fun posts to read!

anyway, the fic idea I have in mind is a Xornoth - Shubble one where big ol' scary XorXor is just living a life of routine: scare a few Nether residents, grow some corruption, plot a way to escape their eternal prison, kill some creatures, give up on the escape attempt because it's useless - there is no escape, no matter how hard they try, they just. can't. escape this infernal hell.

ya know, normal things

anyway, one day Xor crosses paths with a lil' bebbi [how do you youngsters spell this word?] gnome child and being who they are, tries to scare the child. what they don't count on is the child finding their scare tactics funny [kinda like a Mike/Sully - Boo situation]

having never experienced this reaction from another before, they are thrown a bit for a loop and are left confused - are they no longer scary? have they somehow lost their terrorizing powers? they wonder

then they become even more confused when said child, weird as she may be already, says her name is Shrub and declares that they're now friends!

Xornoth tries to tell lil' Shrub that they don't need friends but she refuses to listen. they then try to leave but for some reason, they just. can't. leave.

they then decide, at that very moment,, to adopt this strange little creature as their "pet minion" because hey, this is the first living being they've come across that didn't scream and run away in terror at the sight of them.

as time goes on and the two wander the Nether, they become close in the familial sense. Xor doesn't know if they're now Shrub's big brother, or her father - all they know is that if anything were to happen to their lil' gnome kid, they would obliterate every living being in the entire realm and then themself.

idk what else happens, that's all I got atm

tdlr; fic idea where Xornoth adopts child!Shrub

edit: during my first ask for this au, I came up with the tag Found Family AU. I'll probably still list both under any future posts because I love making things more difficult for myself that way itll have a better chance of being found under tumblr's tagging system.

[prismadog]

Found Family AU: Lemon [Emptober 11th]

so, first thought was the old fanfiction meaning of the word lemon since y'know, that immature part of my brainspace still exists no matter how hard I try to bury it. but hey, we're grown up now and we don't write that stuff anymore - 'sides, I'm more of a touchy-feely kill-me-with-angst show-me-that-comfy-cozy-shit kinda dude these days.

so, got something a little different here. you guys know those videos where a human tries to feed their pet part of a lemon? 🤩 that's what I've decided to write. it's not great but I tried.

enjoy!

-

Lemon

Fwhip glances at the gnome standing with him and Sausage, and the three of them are waiting for Gem and Pearl to get done with...whatever they're doing inside Pearl's house.

well, him and Sausage are waiting. Shrub is too busy looking at the different kinds of crops and produce that the farmer queen grows.

"I've never seen so many kinds of plants!" the gnome looks up at them, "can they all be eaten?"

"probably," he shrugs, "you'll have to ask Pearl. she knows more than either of us do."

the gnome nods, turning back to the crops, the one in front of her is a small dripleaf plant. she reaches out to touch the leaf.

Fwhip glances around slowly, growing bored.

"hey, brother~," Sausage whispers, his voice light and playful.

the tinkerer glances over, raising a brow, and sees that mischievous glint in his best friend's blue eyes. "yeah~?" he whispers, his boredom suddenly dissipating with the possibility of fun.

the dwarf giggles, "you remember how I tried to give Bubbles a lemon one time?" he giggles again, his eyes shifting to something nearby.

violet eyes follow and a grin spreads across the man's face as he spots a lemon tree. "we shouldn't."

"but we want to."

"but we shouldn't."

"but we should."

Fwhip hums, trying to fight the urge growing inside of him. they really shouldn't. they really really shouldn't.

"okay."

Sausage's mad giggles burst the little opposition inside of his brother. "hey, Shrub~," the dwarf calls in a singsong voice.

the gnome startles, yanking her hand back as if she was doing something she shouldn't. "y-yeah?"

"there is one thing we know you can eat," the Count answers, trying to control his grin.

she perks up almost like one of Sausage's dogs, "yeah? what is it? is it good?"

"it's very good," the dwarf replies and plucks a lemon from the tree nearby. he pulls a dagger out and slices the fruit in half, the gnome's attention on him 100%, her gold eyes following his every movement.

"it's called a 'lemon'," Fwhip tells her. "we make them into juice sometimes and season food with them."

"would you like to try it?"

Shrub reaches out and takes the half-fruit from the dwarf. she glances between the two - she was warned that they were troublemakers, but they wouldn't do anything bad to her, right? "are you sure it's safe to eat?"

"of course! would we ever lie to you?" Sausage asks.

"better question - have we ever lied to you?" Fwhip smiles - and he hopes it's an encouraging one.

she hums and looks back to the fruit. it smells...sharp and tangy, like Netherwart but...not? she sniffs it again then, after a quick glance to her new friends, she takes a large bite.

the first thing she tastes is...

sour!

pain!

no good! bad! bad fruit!

the boys watch the gnome's face contort at the taste and she shakes her head. she immediately spits the fruit out and tries to clean her tongue on her sleeve. they burst into a fit of giggles.

she whines a bit, glancing around for something to wash her mouth out with, something to overpower the horrible taste. it's even worse than wither bones!

"hey, guys, sorry we took so long," Pearl says from nearby, walking down the path towards the three.

"Gem!" she exclaims, running up to the wizard, "gim'a posin - or a crys'al! ples?" she's not sure she's actually saying words - her mouth is tingly and she feels like she's going to be sick.

"what?" the wizard glances over her, then down to the lemon still in her hand. her eyes flicker to the boys, they're struck silent immediately. "let's see what I have," she says and searches her inventory. "I have some sugar cane, and some sweet berries -" she barely has them in her hand when the little gnome snatches them away and shoves them both into her mouth, crunching down.

"here, have some milk," the farmer queen holds out a bottle from her own inventory and that's snatched away too.

Shrub practically coats her tongue in the weird mixture and finds instant relief. the sigh that escapes her is weak, stuttering. "thanks," she says, her tongue feeling raw. "that was so horrible!"

"I bet, that's why we don't eat them by themselves," Pearl says and pulls out an apple. "this might help to make you feel better."

"aw, thanks," she accepts the apple and crunches down on it - it's a lot sweeter than the evil lemon. as she chews on it, she completely misses the hard glare that Gem is giving Fwhip and Sausage.

"how about we get this meeting started?" the wizard suggests in an even tone, silently promising her brothers a - minor - punishment for their prank.

"sure!" she says through a mouthful of apple.

-

[prismadog]

someone ask me about my Xornoth adopting child!Shubble AU?

or maybe just talk with me about it?

please???

[prismadog]

Found Family AU: Ribbon [Emptober 4th]

I started writing a very very very basic outline to the AU, but idk about actually writing it yet. I only got a small idea of what I want the beginning to be - the ending is pretty much written if you've been looking at the other posts. if not, here's a link! technically, it's a major spoiler so I'm sorry if you don't like spoilers.

also, feel free to send me asks or messages! [but only if you want to]

okay, I know this is a day late, I know that so I'm sorry. I just struggled with this one so much! like, I think I rewrote this bit at least 10 times because none of them were right. ya know?

anyway, here's Emptober 4th's prompt, Ribbon. hope you enjoy. [I'm gonna try to get the one for the 5th done now so it's not late too, but I can't make any promises]

-

Ribbon

Shrub sat on the balcony level of her tiny home, organizing the multitude of chests and rearranging them. again. for the third or fourth time today.

she had to keep busy or the anticipation and anxiety would take over and make her go mad. keep busy. keep busy.

would they like her gift? when would they show up? it has to be soon, right? they usually come over for a visit. what if they don't -

*knock knock*

the noise startles the gnome and she drops the quarter-stack of bonemeal. she turns to the door next to her, leading out to her balcony, and through the glass window she sees -

"Dad!" she jumps to her feet, yanks the door open, and practically flings herself into their arms. it feels like it's been forever since she last saw her dad.

"ḣ̖̻͛̓ẹ̿͋̒̕l̙͖̑̾ͣl̙͖̑̾ͣo̯̱̊͊͢, ḑ̴̞͛̒ā̤̓̍͘r̴̨̦͕̝l̙͖̑̾ͣỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑," Xornoth greets, "ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑'s̠҉͍͊ͅ b̬͖̏́͢ẹ̿͋̒̕ẹ̿͋̒̕ṇ̤͛̒̍ ā̤̓̍͘w̦̺̐̐͟ḣ̖̻͛̓ỉ͔͖̜͌l̙͖̑̾ͣẹ̿͋̒̕." ["hello, darling" * "it's been awhile"]

"it's been forever!" she pulls back to look up at him, "I've been so worried!"

"I̍̅̀̎̊'ḿ̬̏ͤͅ s̠҉͍͊ͅo̯̱̊͊͢r̴̨̦͕̝r̴̨̦͕̝y҉̃̀̋̑ f̵͖̜̉ͅo̯̱̊͊͢r̴̨̦͕̝ w̦̺̐̐͟o̯̱̊͊͢r̴̨̦͕̝r̴̨̦͕̝y҉̃̀̋̑ỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑ y҉̃̀̋̑o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇, I̍̅̀̎̊'v͒̄ͭ̏̇ẹ̿͋̒̕ b̬͖̏́͢ẹ̿͋̒̕ẹ̿͋̒̕ṇ̤͛̒̍ b̬͖̏́͢ư̡͕̭̇s̠҉͍͊ͅy҉̃̀̋̑." ["I'm sorry for worrying you, I've been busy"]

she pulls them inside and they close the door, "it's fine, it's fine. how about some tea?" she's already heading down the ladder, paying no mind to the mess she left on the balcony - she'll deal with it later.

the demon appears in her little kitchen - they never really walk anywhere now that they're free from the Nether. "t̲̂̓ͩ̑ẹ̿͋̒̕ā̤̓̍͘ w̦̺̐̐͟o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇l̙͖̑̾ͣḑ̴̞͛̒ b̬͖̏́͢ẹ̿͋̒̕ l̙͖̑̾ͣo̯̱̊͊͢v͒̄ͭ̏̇ẹ̿͋̒̕l̙͖̑̾ͣy҉̃̀̋̑." ["tea would be lovely"]

she smiles at them and starts a pot. her nerves start to flare up as she makes two cups, following the exact directions that the Rivendell elf gave her. she ignores the thoughts trying to race through her head - will they like the gift? what if they don't? is the tea going to be too bitter? what if it's too sweet?

"s̠҉͍͊ͅo̯̱̊͊͢ḿ̬̏ͤͅẹ̿͋̒̕t̲̂̓ͩ̑ḣ̖̻͛̓ỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑ w̦̺̐̐͟r̴̨̦͕̝o̯̱̊͊͢ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑, p̞̈͑̚͞o̯̱̊͊͢p̞̈͑̚͞p̞̈͑̚͞y҉̃̀̋̑?" ["something wrong, poppy?"]

Dad hasn't called her 'poppy' in ages! he must know something's up. she shakes her head and grins at the demon sat at her table. "nope! everything's fine!" they give her a look, then glance at the pot, a brow raising - oh yeah, Dad definitely knows something's up. she turns back to her work, pretending everything's okay, making the two cups, then sits at the island table with them. "I hope I made it right."

they take the cup offered, it's warm in their cold hands, and inhale deeply.

gentle spices. dried sweet berries. steeped to perfection. the scent fills their nose, revives memories long-forgotten. Rivendell. Home. they take a sip. only a bit of cream, just the way they like it - have always liked it. Xornoth smiles at his daughter, it's a soft smile, and he pats her head. "ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑'s̠҉͍͊ͅ p̞̈͑̚͞ẹ̿͋̒̕r̴̨̦͕̝f̵͖̜̉ͅẹ̿͋̒̕c͕͗ͤ̕̕t̲̂̓ͩ̑. r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕ḿ̬̏ͤͅỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ḑ̴̞͛̒s̠҉͍͊ͅ ḿ̬̏ͤͅẹ̿͋̒̕ o̯̱̊͊͢f̵͖̜̉ͅ ḣ̖̻͛̓o̯̱̊͊͢ḿ̬̏ͤͅẹ̿͋̒̕." ["it's perfect. reminds me of home"]

"I got it from Rivendell, from Scott, he said it's the best kind," she tells them after taking a sip from her own cup. it's good, completely different from the tea she usually makes, but it's good and her dad is happy.

maybe they'll like their gift? of course Dad will, don't doubt yourself, Shrub - she tells herself.

"I uh, I have something else for you," her voice is quiet, she knows it is, her nerves are going crazy.

Xornoth's eyes are on her as she reaches into the front pocket on her overalls.

she turns to face them properly, the velvet pouch in her hand. she can't look them in the eyes as she holds it out.

they take the pouch carefully in their claws, it has a subtle weight to it, but no overly so. the pouch is elven-made, embroidered in gold and silver, stags stitched perfectly into the dark material. they pull open the bow and even more carefully, they empty the pouch into their open palm.

a ribbon, at least an inch wide, rests in their hand, but it's not just any ribbon. it's dyed cyan and has gold and silver stitching - stags that leap and dance around a multitude of stars. small crimson poppies dot one edge of it, in place of the ground.

memories flood their mind and they want to cry. it's just a beautiful gift, a reminder of the life they lost, the home they can never return to, and they want to cry - from sadness, from pain, from the love that outshines even the darkest parts of their heart.

they want to wear it. immediately. their claws tremble, just the tiniest bit, as they try to wrap it around their wrist.

two small hands slide into their vision and wrap it gently around their dark skin - it's a decent length for a ribbon, encircling their wrist three times. it's tied off with a simple red jewel.

Xornoth stares at it for awhile longer - could be seconds, could be minutes, for all they know it could even be hours - then turns their eyes towards their daughter, the girl who they care about more than anything.

Shrub offers them a soft smile, her golden eyes sparkling, and opens her arms. she makes an 'oof' noise when they yank her into a firm embrace, holding her as close as physically possible.

"ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑'s̠҉͍͊ͅ b̬͖̏́͢ẹ̿͋̒̕ā̤̓̍͘ư̡͕̭̇t̲̂̓ͩ̑ỉ͔͖̜͌f̵͖̜̉ͅư̡͕̭̇l̙͖̑̾ͣ, ḑ̴̞͛̒ā̤̓̍͘r̴̨̦͕̝l̙͖̑̾ͣỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑. I̍̅̀̎̊'l̙͖̑̾ͣl̙͖̑̾ͣ c͕͗ͤ̕̕ḣ̖̻͛̓ẹ̿͋̒̕r̴̨̦͕̝ỉ͔͖̜͌s̠҉͍͊ͅḣ̖̻͛̓ ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑ f̵͖̜̉ͅo̯̱̊͊͢r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕v͒̄ͭ̏̇ẹ̿͋̒̕r̴̨̦͕̝," their voice is quiet but it carries the weight of a promise. the only way her gift will come off is over their dead body. ["it's beautiful, darling. I'll cherish it forever"]

"I'm glad you like it, Dad."

---

[prismadog]

Found Family AU character facts (part 6)

okay yeah, these are more like backgrounds than anything else so idk why I keep calling them "character facts" - but I've already come this far and am therefore too lazy to change them [used to be a time when my OCD kicked in real bad and wouldn't leave me alone until I changed everything to better fit. thank the minecraft gods I don't have that problem anymore - still got OCD but I'm able to ignore it more]

oh, these are also kinda my headcanons for the characters - like Sausage is a dwarf, Pearl a Harvest Guardian, etc. I'm still thinking of writing one-shots about the characters before the actual AU's beginning (ya know, focusing on the background characters more) and I think I might just go ahead and do that, but only after I finish these posts - got two more to do, this one and one with Joel & Pixl.

also, these ones are kinda long but you're just gonna have to live with it because I'm really tired of trying to condense them down, plus, I don't think I can with these two? there's a lot going on

this one features our beloved seablings Lizzie and Jimmy! [I got a one-shot idea for Jimmy's mostly fleshed out in my head] anyway, here we go!

Lizzie

Lizzie is the firstborn of the Ocean Empire, heir to the throne, and elder sister to Jimmy. their mother is Queen, commander of the seas, and their father is King, but also Mr. Trophy Husband (he does not mind this in the slightest). Even from her birth, she has known that one day, she'll be Queen, and has trained extensively to be the best fighter, the best ruler, the best Queen.

she was about 5 when Jimmy was born and she loved him from the start. he was always too small compared to her so she took it upon herself to watch over him and protect him. when she was older, she taught him to fight since their parents were too worried about him getting hurt.

she would go with her father to represent the Ocean Empire, sometimes Jimmy would join but usually he stayed at home. she met other children but never really got to know them because they were scared of her - except one kid named Joel, Prince of Mezalea. he would follow her around and talk her ear off about building, she liked that he was so fearless.

for the next several years, the empires of Mezalea and the Ocean would make visits to each other. Lizzie and Joel got to know each other more and Joel got to meet her brother - Lizzie was nervous that they wouldn't get on but she didn't need to worry, Jimmy accepted Joel easily and Joel called him 'brother'.

Lizzie didn't know until later why there were so many visits - her and Joel's parents wanted to unite their empires through marriage. she found out and went to Joel and talked to him about it, they were 16 at the time so it was too early for them to wed but they promised when they were of age. they talked to their parents about a future marriage and their parents were glad - Jimmy loved the idea as well.

two years later, their father was traveling to another kingdom, to the Crystal Cliffs, when he was slain by unknown people. his remains were returned home and a funeral was held to return him to the Ocean. their mother carried on for some months after but the grief was causing trouble for the empire - there were constant storms that made travel near-impossible.

Lizzie went to her mother and they had a long talk, by the end of it, the Queen gave up her crown and her thrown in order to return to the sea, to her departed husband. a ceremony was held for the Queen as she joined the ocean, and a few days later Lizzie was crowned Queen. Jimmy and Joel were at her side through it all, and Joel's visits became longer and longer until he was practically living with her - not that she minded, she loved the company.

Lizzie and Joel married nearly two years later when they became of age. they had two ceremonies - one Mezalean and the other Oceanic, the wedding itself was held in Mezalea due to different customs, and a smaller ceremony was held in the Ocean Empire. Jimmy was Joel's best man.

life was fairly peaceful for a time, Joel became a trophy husband (like her father, Joel didn't mind). if there was a Gathering, Lizzie would either go with Joel or Jimmy, a few times even both, though she did worry about her brother - he wasn't nearly as strong as her and he liked to get into trouble, when he wasn't hiding behind her that is.

a sickness hit Joel's kingdom that wiped out a decent amount of Mezaleans, including his parents. Joel had to return home to run the kingdom while they were bedridden, Lizzie provided as much aid as possible without endangering her empire too - he insisted she stay in the Ocean. his parents, like many citizens, had their lives taken and he became King.

visits had to become commonplace again and the couple were apart more often than they were together, but Lizzie and Joel made it work. Jimmy often traveled for them, sending messages and gifts for them - he didn't mind.

a few years later, when Jimmy had become of age, he came to her asking her permission to let him travel - really travel, not just between the two empires. she worried for his safety and wanted to keep him near but knew it would only hurt him in the end - so, she gave him as many blessings as she could, as did Joel, and they parted ways. Jimmy promised to write often.

a year later, after a few months of no word, Lizzie got a letter from Jimmy about a small settlement in the swamps that boarded the ocean. she went out immediately with Joel and they visited Jimmy, she lectured him about worrying her then doted on him for a time. she came to find that there had been a storm and Jimmy had washed up in the settlement (literally), the people helped him heal up, and they accepted him into their community when he wished to join.

Lizzie spoke with the elders about the settlement and her brother's role. an agreement was made where Jimmy was declared the ruler of the Cod Empire and they would be allies with the Ocean Empire. she doted on her brother more but eventually returned home.

at the next Gathering, she greeted Jimmy as a ruler, and found that he decided cod heads were in fashion. she kept on eye on her brother - who still liked to get into trouble - and more than once came to his rescue when things got out of hand - some of the other rulers liked to pick on him. things only went too far once and she showed fWhip and Sausage the true might of the Ocean Empire - they never went too far again.

Jimmy

Jimmy is the secondborn to the Ocean Queen & King, prince of the Ocean Empire (though, there's no chance for him to rule), and younger brother to Lizzie by about 5 years. he was a fairly weak child, smaller than what was normal, but he didn't let that stop him from getting into trouble.

he was doted on by many of the adults around him and picked on by many of the noble children - but he thought it was all in good fun. Lizzie watched over him like a hawk, doted on him as well but she also taught him how to protect himself. he learned how to fight and defend from her, even though their parents didn't like it.

Jimmy often stayed home when their father had to travel to the other kingdoms - usually for the Gathering - and Lizzie almost always went with him. he spent most of that time either by himself or with their mother who taught him different things about ruling - in case he either married into another kingdom or founded his own.

after each Gathering, Lizzie and their father returned home, and Lizzie told him all about the event. she brought him gifts and food, and stories about the other kingdoms. she also told him about another prince - Prince Joel of Mezalea - and how she wished they could see each other again and that it'd be nice for Jimmy to meet her new friend.

after a few of these talks, Jimmy decided to help his sister out. he went to their parents and asked them about an alliance between the Ocean Empire and Mezalea - let it be known that he can be fairly intelligent when he wants to be, even though at this point he's only about 7. their parents talked with the rulers of Mezalea and soon, there were visits. Jimmy tried to stay out of the way the first few visits to give Lizzie and Joel space, but his sister always managed to drag him into the middle - Joel accepted him pretty quickly and welcomed his company.

some years passed and there was talk of a future marriage between Lizzie and Joel - Jimmy was more than happy about their decision and already felt like Joel was family. then their father died and a funeral was held for the King of the Ocean Empire. Jimmy took it upon himself to try to keep his mother and sister in good spirits - Lizzie was relatively okay, sad, but okay; their mother was different though, she grieved almost continuously and was torn between keeping Jimmy at her side and not wanting to see him at all - he reminded her so much of her husband but Jimmy never held it against her.

then one day, Lizzie had a talk with their mother about her grief and how it was damaging the Empire - travel had been all but halted and the people were suffering. he wasn't there for the talk, only after when they had to say their goodbyes to their mother - she decided to step down and return to the sea to be with her husband. Lizzie became the next Queen and he stood at her side like always.

Joel visited more often, so often that Jimmy just suggested he move in - even though only a few months had passed. he and Joel often got into some trouble but it was all harmless fun. some time passed and his two best friends - Lizzie and Joel - became of age and Jimmy officially gained a brother.

he didn't really like to go to the Gatherings - there were always too many people and sometimes the other nobles would tease him. if he did go, he liked to wear a mask. otherwise, he usually stayed at home or explored the ocean around the palace.

a sickness hit Joel's kingdom and he lost not only a good number of subjects but also his parents. Joel had to leave the Ocean Empire and take the throne, something that saddened both seablings but more so Lizzie, though she didn't like to show it. Jimmy acted as messenger between his best friends once all was well within Mezalea - Lizzie didn't want him in the thick of it in case he got sick too.

when Jimmy became of age, he decided that he wanted to explore the oceans. he'd always dreamed of exploring but he never thought he was strong enough, that and he had to be here for his sister. but he was an adult and seeing as the throne only goes to the females in the family, there wasn't really an official place for him in the palace. so with Lizzie's permission and many blessings, he set out to see the world around him.

he traveled for quite some time, sending letters when he could, except for one time almost a year after leaving home. he got caught up in a mighty storm that battered him towards the shoreline and washed him aground. he found himself days, maybe more than week, later on the shore of a swamp settlement surrounded by fish-hybrids that looked a bit like cod. he was injured and dehydrated and they took him in and cared for him.

he sent a letter to his sister when he was well enough, which was a couple weeks after waking up in the swamp, and was soon visited. Lizzie lectured him and doted on him and wanted to take him home but he turned her down - he had a debt to repay. a small meeting was held with the elders and Jimmy came out of it as the unofficial-official ruler of the swamp. the people accepted him well enough, he was just another member of their community and he thanked them for that.

he quickly adjusted to his new life, though being closer to their average humanish height took some getting used to - the Ocean royalty are usually about three times as big as the average human, and normal Oceanic people are about twice the size as a human. he started dressing in long sleeves and pants, and he donned a cod-head - all to better blend in with his new people.

at the next Gathering, he was introduced as the Codfather, King of the Cod Empire. a couple of the other rulers - fWhip and Sausage - started to tease him, all in good fun at first then things slowly escalated until one time where he got injured and bedridden from one of their traps. Lizzie wasn't happy about that and put them in their place.

he also found, during the Gatherings, that the ruler of the elf empire, Elfking Scott of Rivendell, hated him, but he also teased him? Jimmy tried to give the elf gifts, to appease him, but nothing seemed to work, he just couldn't get the elf to like him.

[prismadog]

Found Family AU character facts! (part 1?)

this is an AU where Xornoth finds a young Shubble and adopts her as his own. they wander the Nether together until she finds a way to escape into the Overworld.

idk if I'll do more of these posts or not [honestly, I probably will because my brain just loves to pester me]. but for now, until that [inevitably] happens, I'll just do this one post with facts about our two main characters of this AU - Xornoth, our beloved bastard, and Shrub, our sweet mushroom girl

Xornoth

once was an elf of Rivendell, brother to Alinar, but was corrupted by the evils of Exor. exiled by Alinar using Aeor's power - ended up in the Nether

lived in the barren wasteland of the Nether for a very very very long time, and over the course of their life, they learned how to grow a plethora of plants. all these plants are twisted with their powers of corruption. this cultivation of plant-life caused more creatures to come into being - one of them being the gnomes.

spends their time terrorizing the residents of the Nether, plotting an escape that they quickly give up on, kills some creatures out of boredom, and cultivates their corruption

finds a small gnome child that's out on her own and initially tries to scare her but she finds their scare tactics funny and says they're now friends. they adopts said gnome because she's the first living thing to look them in the eyes and show no fear

wanders the Nether with their Shrub and tells her stories about their previous life. they tell her about their brother Alinar and how fate tore them apart, about their home in the snow-capped mountains, about the world they grew up in - one of the things they miss the most about their previous life, other than their brother, is the sun.

they teach Shrub how to cultivate the mushroom trees and other plants of their world, and also how to fight and protect herself should she ever need to - they hope their gnome won't ever need to fight but knows that Life is hardly ever so kind

cares only about two things: their brother, and their adopted child

only wants a few things out of life: to apologize to their brother for all of their crimes, to return to the home they were banished from, and to keep Shrub safe - if anything were to happen to their lil’ gnome kid, they would obliterate every living being in the entire realm and then themself.

Shrub is the only person who knows their true name

Shrub

was either orphaned or abandoned at a young age - between 4-6 (human?) years. she tries to survive on her own and manages to for some time by taking shelter in a hole near a Crimson Forest. she eats the local plant-life, mushrooms and vines.

a creature she's never seen before appears out of nowhere and tries to scare her but she shows no fear - instead, she laughs. the creature is made up of some pretty colors and they're grinning.

befriends said creature and learns they're a demon. she follows them around, feeling safe at their side, and learns all kinds of things - about them, about a world she's never seen, about the various plants around her and how to care for them, and about defending herself from creatures that are more than twice her size

she sees how much pain Xornoth - they call themself that - is in from all their past mistakes, and she wants to help them feel better. there's not a lot she can do but maybe just being there for them is enough

accidentally calls them "dad" once and while initially startling for the two of them, it quickly becomes her new name for them.

has a few things she wants to do in life: help her demon dad find peace and happiness, help free her dad from their eternal prison, help her dad find the family they lost so long ago, see the world Xornoth spoke about, and make some friends

scours the old fortresses and ruins in hopes of finding a way to leave the Nether and eventually, she finds what she's looking for. the two of them open up a portal and escape.

being raised by a demon, Shrub knows how to fight and she will not hesitate to protect those she loves - she will kill without a second thought if she must

she is the only one who knows Xornoth's true name and she will take that secret to her grave

[prismadog]

Found Family AU: Bugs [Emptober 2nd]

now for Day 2 of Emptober [yes, it's technically the 3rd at the moment of post, but the next day don't start til the sun comes up] I don't know if I'll be able to do all the days, not for a lack of trying but more because I'm trying to fit these around my AU.

I already have an idea for a couple of the days, but some of them I think will be a bit harder. I guess we'll see.

anyway, got a short and...interesting one here featuring Shrub and Xornoth.

also, sorry about the zalgo/void text. I wanted to mimic the tone? that Xornoth speaks with and that was the best option - I just wish it didn't overlap the other words :/ also also, I put what's said in the weird text in brackets after the paragraph so that if you can't read it, you can know what's being said.

.

Bug

they lay on the bed of corruption, on the plants and vines that they molded into a large flat surface. their eyes were closed and they were sleeping, well, they were pretending to sleep.

*hsss* *crunch*

they didn't need to sleep anymore - time was nonexistent but that was only part of the reason why. being a literal demon had its perks but also its downsides, like sleeping and dreaming. they missed sleep.

but it was enough to pretend, or so they told themself.

*chirp chirp*

they don't even remember what it was like to just not exist for awhile - to lay down at night and wake up the next morning with the sun streaming in. they missed the sun too, they missed its gentle warmth.

*chirp* *crunch* *hsss*

what was sleep to someone who no longer experienced it? to someone who hasn't had a good nights' sleep in who knows how long? to a demon forced to live in this gods-forsaken realm?

they would make a bed for themselves when they felt like sleeping and they would lay down with their little gnome. they would close their eyes and lay here but they wouldn't sleep, they couldn't sleep. maybe they're able to zone out for awhile and pretend, but it never lasts.

*hsssss* *crunch*

and that's the end of pretending, they think with a sigh. Xornoth opens their eyes and stares at the red rock above for a moment, how can anyone rest with all that noise?

*chiir-crunch*

the demon sits up a bit, leaning on their arm and glances over the side of the makeshift bed to where they know the noise is coming from.

their little gnome sits on the floor surrounded by netherbugs - they're the same size as Silverfish and Endermites but they're red-black in color and they hiss and chirp. in fact, they might just be the same as Silverfish and Endermites, just, altered to fit their habitat.

the bugs scurry around her and bump into her, but they don't attack. she picks one up, it hisses in her tiny hands, and she...

"w̦̺̐̐͟ḣ̖̻͛̓ā̤̓̍͘t̲̂̓ͩ̑ ā̤̓̍͘r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕ y҉̃̀̋̑o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇ ḑ̴̞͛̒o̯̱̊͊͢ỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑? they ask and their little gnome looks up at them, the bug halfway to her open mouth. ["what are you doing?"]

"hungry," she replies casually.

"ḑ̴̞͛̒o̯̱̊͊͢ṇ̤͛̒̍'t̲̂̓ͩ̑ ẹ̿͋̒̕ā̤̓̍͘t̲̂̓ͩ̑ t̲̂̓ͩ̑ḣ̖̻͛̓ā̤̓̍͘t̲̂̓ͩ̑," they say, their tone stern as she starts to do just that. she stares at them with her large yellow eyes, daring them to stop her. "ṇ̤͛̒̍o̯̱̊͊͢, S̵̙͕̀̃ḣ̖̻͛̓r̴̨̦͕̝ư̡͕̭̇b̬͖̏́͢," she has the head of the bug in her mouth. "s̠҉͍͊ͅp̞̈͑̚͞ỉ͔͖̜͌t̲̂̓ͩ̑ t̲̂̓ͩ̑ḣ̖̻͛̓ā̤̓̍͘t̲̂̓ͩ̑ o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇t̲̂̓ͩ̑." ["don't eat that" * "no, Shrub" * "spit that out"]

*crunch*

"o̯̱̊͊͢ḣ̖̻͛̓, Ḛͭ̉̇͟x̛̘̠̹͋o̯̱̊͊͢r̴̨̦͕̝, ḣ̖̻͛̓ẹ̿͋̒̕l̙͖̑̾ͣp̞̈͑̚͞ ḿ̬̏ͤͅẹ̿͋̒̕," they curse aloud as she chews on the creature. when she's done, she picks up another and that's where they interfere - no child of their's is going to get nutrition from those things. they pull the small gnome up off the ground, making the netherbugs scatter, and set her on the bed of plantgrowth next to them. ["oh, Exor, help me"]

"hey! you made them run away!" she pouts.

"ṇ̤͛̒̍o̯̱̊͊͢ ḿ̬̏ͤͅo̯̱̊͊͢r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕ b̬͖̏́͢ư̡͕̭̇ĝ̽̓̀͑s̠҉͍͊ͅ," they say and conjure up a golden apple - her eyes light up at the sight of the fruit. "ỉ͔͖̜͌f̵͖̜̉ͅ y҉̃̀̋̑o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇'r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕ ḣ̖̻͛̓ư̡͕̭̇ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑r̴̨̦͕̝y҉̃̀̋̑, t̲̂̓ͩ̑ẹ̿͋̒̕l̙͖̑̾ͣl̙͖̑̾ͣ ḿ̬̏ͤͅẹ̿͋̒̕ s̠҉͍͊ͅo̯̱̊͊͢ I̍̅̀̎̊ c͕͗ͤ̕̕ā̤̓̍͘ṇ̤͛̒̍ ĝ̽̓̀͑ẹ̿͋̒̕t̲̂̓ͩ̑ y҉̃̀̋̑o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇ ḣ̖̻͛̓ẹ̿͋̒̕ā̤̓̍͘l̙͖̑̾ͣt̲̂̓ͩ̑ḣ̖̻͛̓ỉ͔͖̜͌ẹ̿͋̒̕r̴̨̦͕̝ f̵͖̜̉ͅo̯̱̊͊͢o̯̱̊͊͢ḑ̴̞͛̒. o̯̱̊͊͢ḳ̯͍̑ͦā̤̓̍͘y҉̃̀̋̑?" ["no more bugs" * "if you're hungry, tell me so I can get you healthier food. okay?"]

she considers it for a moment - they know she'll just go back to eating whatever she wants no matter what they do, but it never hurts to try. "okay!" she takes the gapple from the demon and curls up against their chest, munching on the fruit.

Xornoth wraps an arm around her - she's so tiny compared to them - and closes their eyes again. now that there's not the sound of bugs being munched on, they can return to pretending to sleep.

"thank you, Daddy," the little gnome says quietly through a mouthful of fruit.

"y҉̃̀̋̑o̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇'r̴̨̦͕̝ẹ̿͋̒̕ w̦̺̐̐͟ẹ̿͋̒̕l̙͖̑̾ͣc͕͗ͤ̕̕o̯̱̊͊͢ḿ̬̏ͤͅẹ̿͋̒̕, ḑ̴̞͛̒ā̤̓̍͘r̴̨̦͕̝l̙͖̑̾ͣỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ĝ̽̓̀͑." ["you're welcome, darling."]

[prismadog]

Found Family AU character facts (part 5)

Sorry I haven't done one of these in a couple days - I was tired yesterday then I went and wrote a one-shot and didn't really feel like writing anything more. So sorry about that, but I'm back and this time with some facts [these are more background information than facts, aren't they?] about Gem and fWhip!

I think, since I keep accidentally turning these facts posts into stories [none of which you'd've seen yet cause I alter the posts before sending them off], I might just write some one-shots or short stories. like with the last one that featured Katherine and Pearl - there's a whole conversation between Pearl and the God of Life that I didn't add.

do you guys want that? the one-shots? I know I haven't really done anything with the actual AU since I kinda got side-tracked here with the facts posts, but I do plan on make more Xornoth & Shrub related content, it's just the facts have somehow taken priority.

speaking of which, more below! [lemme know if you guys want stories] also, fWhip's got a bit long but I'm too tired to edit it and condense it down so, y'all've gotta live with more content on fWhip's section. sorry

Gem

Gem is the twin sister to fWhip. they were both born into a simple house in a simple village between mountains - it was called the Crystal Valley, so named because of the uses of crystals in everyone's homes and in the village itself. the two are children of a bard and neither has a clue who the father is - that's a secret their mother would never tell them no matter how many times they asked.

she was able to use magic since pretty much her birth, unlike fWhip who didn't display any talents for the art. the resident Wizard at the time was curious about this and wanted to study the twins - nothing sinister, only check in on them and ask questions. their mother allowed it because she was still young and needed guidance.

the Wizard, at the time, is the only one who knows about their father. he watches over the twins and when they're old enough, teaches them magic. Gem takes to the magic like a bird takes wing and flies, but fWhip struggled and quickly gave up.

when she and fWhip are young, maybe about 8 years old, they meet the Prince of Mythland - a dwarf boy named J Sausage. the three of them get on like a house on fire. Gem spends her free time with the two, usually keeping them out of trouble, and sometimes tried to teach Sausage how to use magic - he was never able to do any magic but he didn't seem to mind.

they stayed close over the years, often visiting each others' kingdoms and causing a little havoc, and felt like they were family. even each others' parents thought of them as family. then, Sausage's father was slain in battle and Sausage was crowned King - Gem and fWhip were at his side for everything. fWhip, tinkering genius, set up a firework show for Sausage and she gave him some gifts - an old spell book she found written by a Mythlandian, and some rings with protection magic.

the three of them drift a bit with new responsibilities - Sausage has his kingdom and Gem's lessons are becoming more difficult. she feels guilty that she can't spend as much time with either of her boys, especially when she finds out that fWhip's been exploring the mountains by himself - something no one does because the mountains are a cruel place that takes the lives of those who wander its rocky terrain

she tries to talk fWhip out of his explorations and for a time, she succeeds. she visits with him between studies, which seems to be longer and longer between visits, and he seems all right. but one time, she goes to visit, after what she thought was only a few weeks but was really two months, and he's nowhere to be found. she asks their mother but she doesn't know where he is either. come to find, no one's seen him in that time.

Gem sends word to Sausage while she searches for her brother, and within a day, Sausage is there searching right along with her. they spend countless hours, days, searching but they come up with nothing but a few belongings deep within the mountains. she has to hold a funeral, her mother is distraught, and Sausage stands vigil for fWhip. Sausage visits her from time to time as she throws herself fully into her lessons, in order to keep from thinking about how she let her brother down, but eventually, he gets busy as well.

she becomes Wizard of the Crystal Cliffs, the title given to her from the Wizard she grew up with, and he retires. she decides her first act as Wizard is to take on the mountains, claim them for her own in honor of the twin she lost. the villagers and mages alike question her actions but she ignores them. she builds first a house with farms, then another building, and eventually a tower on top of the mountain. the Crystal Valley becomes known as the Crystal Cliffs.

in this time, she meets some rulers from other kingdoms, some through Sausage and others through her title since the Crystal Cliffs are under her rule. sometime during all this, she got word about a kingdom in the Grimlands - a barren wasteland that none dare travel - and there was going to be a Gathering to welcome its ruler, the Count of the Grimlands.

she went to the Gathering, taking place in the Flower Fields, and found her twin there. fWhip was alive and well, and was the Count of a new kingdom - she couldn't be happier to see her brother. the trio was reunited and they celebrated vigorously and Gem promised to never let her studies get in the way again.

visits between the three kingdoms became commonplace again. Gem spent as much time with her boys as possible, even when they were picking on the Codfather of the swamps.

she did notice sometime later that fWhip wasn't the same as she remembered - he was always a little chaotic and loved to tinker with things, but now it was worse, and something was just...off about him. he talked often about Deepslate Redstone and was almost obsessed with tnt. she vowed to herself to keep a closer eye on him.

fWhip

fWhip is the twin brother to Gem. they were both born into a simple house in a simple village between mountains - it was called the Crystal Valley, so named because of the uses of crystals in everyone's homes and in the village itself. the two are children of a bard and neither has a clue who the father is - that's a secret their mother would never tell them no matter how many times they asked.

fWhip, unlike his sister, was not able to use magic from an early age, or ever in fact, but he never held it against her - it was just what made Gem special. the resident Wizard still tried to teach him, for a short time, but fWhip struggled with the lessons and gave up - though, he did enjoy the lessons on other topics such as the Mobestiary and different tools the mages used. it was technical side of things that he was interested in and so he learned how to tinker and fix tools and to create new things to be used - most ended in failure but some came out good.

when he and Gem are young, maybe about 8 years old, they meet the Prince of Mythland - a dwarf boy named J Sausage. the three of them get on like a house on fire. he spends more time with Sausage than Gem does, due to her studies, but she still hangs out with them during her free time. he and Sausage bond over not being able to use magic, though, Sausage still tries whereas fWhip doesn't - he doesn't mind though.

they stayed close over the years, often visiting each others' kingdoms and causing a little havoc, and felt like they were family. even each others' parents thought of them as family. then, Sausage's father was slain in battle and Sausage was crowned King - he and Gem were at his side for everything. fWhip, tinkering genius, set up a firework show for Sausage and she gave him some magical gifts for his coronation.

with Gem's new studies and Sausage's new duties, fWhip finds himself on his own more often than not so he tries to keep himself occupied - but tinkering and fixing things can only go so far. he explores the surrounding area around the village, just the forests to start with, but is soon drawn to the mountains - he's always been told not to travel into them or else you'll be consumed by the mountain. he resisted for a time but eventually his curiosity got to him and he started exploring the mountains too - not too much, only the surface caves.

Gem caught him one time coming back from an exploration and lectured him on the dangers of the mountain, more so than their mother's been doing - she just packs him some food and tells him to be careful, she understands the need to roam since she used to be traveling bard. Gem thinks the conversation done and nothing more is said, then she goes back to her studies and he back to exploring.

visits with his twin are few and far between, as is visits with Sausage, and the mountains keep luring him deeper into them - not that he minds the last bit. he finds all kinds of resources within the caves - gold and iron, lapis and diamond, coal and redstone. it's the raw redstone that draws him in, he's only ever seen it in its refined state.

with the first finding of the block, he returns to the village to get his tools re-enchanted so that he can mine the raw blocks. the mage does a wonderful job, putting several enchantments on his weapons, and he pays them in lapis and crystals - both being important to the mages. with his new tools, and a pack of supplies for himself, he returns to the caves and his sort-of new home there - an off-set of the main tunnels that he uses for shelter and even has a wheat farm going.

deeper and deeper he travels, following the redstone - it makes his veins sing and he wants more of it. the redstone leads him through the mountains and eventually to the surface again where he finds the Grimlands - a barren wasteland that nobody travels to. he also finds that the wasteland has redstone blocks in the terrain, right on the surface, and it's the Deepslate kind too.

he travels the land, fascinated by the darkness of it all, and feels like he was meant to be here. he finds a village every now and again - small, dark, and the people are hardier, almost rock-like with redstone cracks along their skin. they're just as curious about him as he is of them, and he often talks to the villagers before moving on again - he's trying to find a place to settle down.

and he finds that place on a nice plateau area that the villagers had referred to as the center of their lands. he starts building there, just a few houses, then a warehouse and a few shops, then walls. somehow word gets around and the people of the Grimlands join him, he welcomes the company, and soon a proper city has risen. he puts walls around it, for protection, and the people start to call him "Count fWhip" and looking to him for aid. at first, he doesn't think he's fit for the job, but they make him see reason and he gladly accepts the title. they help him build lodgings fit for a ruler - first a huge forge and a mansion on another plateau.

word seems to spread outside of the Grimlands and he's contacted by a ruler of another kingdom - Queen Katherine of House Blossom of the Flower Fields - and she offers him a seat at the Gathering of Empires. he's reluctant at first to accept but his trusted advisors convince him it's for the best - the other kingdoms have materials and goods that are hard to come by. he accepts and travels to the Flower Fields, getting lost only a couple times.

he meets the other rulers and also, he runs into his twin and his best friend again - he doesn't know when he saw them last - and they celebrate their reunion together. he visits with them more often, all of them traveling between their three kingdoms, and couldn't be happier. he and Sausage start teasing another new ruler - Jimmy the Codfather - and sometimes Gem joins in, but it's all in good fun. except one time where things went too far and he found out that the Ocean Queen isn't someone you want to mess with. but after that, all good fun.

[prismadog]

Found Family AU character facts (part 2)

so...I decided to do a part 2 afterall cause hey, there's more characters involved than just Xornoth and Shrub. idk how many of these I'll actually do because most of the characters stay relatively the same.

but, there are a few side characters that are more prevalent than others, and those are: Scott, Sausage, Joey, and Lady Sun. I'll probably split these up into parts - so at least two characters per post because I seem to have the habit of writing really looong posts with this AU

Lady Sun, aka Mother Wolf

the Mother Wolf is a direwolf that resides in a grove full of large trees. her age is undetermined, she could be a few years old or she could be 100, nobody knows except the spirits of the forest and they stay silent on the matter

she has many offspring that follow her lead.

she is fearless and will give her life to protect her pack; and she has a strong connection with the spirits of the forest.

for as long as she's been alive, the forest has been a sanctuary to not only the forest spirits but to any soul that wanders in looking for shelter

Scott Smajor

Scott is an elf of Rivendell who is unknowingly the reincarnation of another elf named Alinar. he is a prince who was born with white wings - a blessing of Aeor - and he was raised to stand above his people and not as one of them.

he grew up on stories of the past, one of the more prevalent being "The Clash of the Great Stags" - it is a story that all elves learn to know by heart.

he was crowned king in his teens (elf years) because of his parents' deaths and took the throne. from then on, it was his job to run the kingdom as those before him and to take audiences with the rulers of the neighboring kingdoms - he didn't like interacting with the others so whenever he did, he was cold and distant in attitude

most everyone kept him at arms length, except strong stable boys and pretty servant boys - Scott was a flirt in private and if he wanted companionship for the night, he got it

it wasn't until a few centuries later when he would make his first real friend. in the Overgrown, a queen arose that was in a similar position to him - her mother had passed on and despite being a teen, she took the throne

when she did, one of her first acts as Queen was solidifying an alliance with the elf kingdom - she wrote to Scott frequently and visited him so often that she became a familiar face in his kingdom. she made sure he had good and proper fun and despite trying to keep things formal between them, Scott found his resolve waning and he eventually let her in past the walls he built inside of himself

Katherine of House Blossom, Guardian of the Overgrown, Fairy Queen of the Flower Fields, was Scott's first friend and he would protect that friendship until his dying breath

another century and he meets more rulers, most being some form of magical creature: two dragon-human hybrids - one a wizard and the other obsessed with what's essentially just a shiny rock, a chaotic little dwarf that made his dog his second in command, a farmer who he suspects is actually some kind of goddess in disguise, a man who's been blessed by Lady Death to see the death of those around him, a colorful birdbrain who's just crazy enough to warrant avoiding at any cost, a man who prefers building over social interactions, two axolotl merfolk - one who should not under any circumstances be angered and the other who has a very unhealthy obsession with salmon cod, of all things - cod

Scott makes alliances with Gem, fWhip, and Pearl - more out of necessity than anything else - and by that default, Sausage since he and fWhip are practically attached at the hip

[prismadog]

I kinda had a suggestion for your au,

So if you don't want to read it, this is your time to delete this ask,

But yeah, maybe Xornoth hasn't been completely corrupted when Scott's people sends them to the nether

As in like, he is definitely very corrupted and evil, but it's not too late for him to become human again

And then [insert something involving Shrub] happens and he is presented the choice of becoming human again and unlocking all the power of exor, at the cost of turning away from his humanity forever

why wouldn't I want to read a suggestion? I love talking to people! and I'd love to hear any feedback, comments, or suggestions!

ooh...I love this idea so much already!

I haven't thought too much about the end game yet but I have thought a bit about pre-exile Xornoth and it's pretty much what you said: maybe they're not fully corrupted and there's a chance for him to return to his former self.

EDIT: this is a quick message from after typing out the below post. I somehow ended up coming up with an end game, idk how that happened but it did. it's not exactly like you suggested but I hope it satisfies well enough. I really loved your ask btw.

also, this is fairly long so I'm putting a "keep reading line below". I think I might have also sort of written a story here? like, I meant for this to be just a little response but...it's not. it's practically a story for how things will go down. obviously, it'll need work, but it's a start!

.

pre-exile chance

my thoughts: there was one moment when Xornoth really questioned their actions, questioned their blind faith to Exor, questioned how they became a monster when all they wanted was to be the beloved hero that their brother Alinar is.

that moment, it was when they were banished from their home, but before they were exiled to the Nether. the people wanted them gone and they turned to their brother for help, they wanted Alinar to keep the people from banishing them. the moment where Xornoth questioned everything was when Alinar turned his back on them.

they moved to the caves and questioned every single little thing they've ever done - where had they gone wrong? why wasn't Alinar proud of him? maybe...maybe everything they were doing wasn't so good after all.

I believe that if when Alinar had found his brother again, if he had asked Aeor for aid in saving his brother instead of banishing them for good, there would have been a chance for Xornoth to return to his former self. but no, Alinar had to go and remove that chance entirely from the equation and exile his brother in the Nether.

* I'm using the Clash of the Great Stags as reference for that part above. I'm leaving Conal & Alinar's canon story as history for the AU versions, though, there might be a tweak or two in the future, who knows?

but. after reading your suggestion and having a good long think about this...maybe there is still a chance, even after Alinar turned his back on his brother.

so...I'ma gonna hash things out here.

.

hash out chance

we the fans know that there's going to be some form of "final battle" between the rulers and Xornoth - the same will be true for the AU as well. it'll be Xornoth, Sausage, Joey, and Shrub against everyone else - though, for Shrub, she doesn't want to fight, she doesn't want to see anyone get hurt, she just wants everyone to get along. but she knows that no matter what she does, everyone will end up at the final battle, ready for war.

but before that, there's a lot of moments where, like in canon, everyone is trying to find a cure for the corruption plaguing their lands. Shrub is no different, except, she pushes more towards a cure for people, for the demon themself.

Katherine, Scott, and Gem are more than willing to help her find a cure - they don't really know why Shrub is so insistent on curing the demon, she only ever vaguely tells them her reasons, but they're still going to help her because they're her friends.

during this, Scott will talk to Aeor, wondering if there is a way to cure the corruption at its source - the demon - without shedding any more blood.

Aeor, I know he's supposed to be a good god, believing in peace and equality - and he is a good god, but...I don't think he would want to resolve things between him and Exor peacefully. in the story I linked, he pretty much jumped right into a fight with Exor without hesitation

so, that being said, I don't think things would be any different even if his champion was looking for peaceful solutions. I believe Aeor would want Scott to take up arms against Xornoth and fight for him, to end the corruption once and for all.

Scott would be reluctant of course, torn between his god's wishes and helping his friends. so, maybe he does both - he'll try to help his friends find a cure for the demon but he'll also prepare for the inevitable final battle.

Shrub and her friends work tirelessly trying to find a cure, making several different potions, and each one Shrub takes home with her and gives them to Xornoth. they're reluctant to take the potions but they'll do anything for their gnome, even if it means turning their back on their god and giving up all the power Exor gifted them.

so, Xornoth tries every different potion given to them, even though not a single one has any effect on them, until all options are completely eliminated and the rulers run out of ideas. at that point in time, there is no other choice except war - war between the gods, between their champions, between people who were all once friends but are now on opposing sides.

maybe this is where Shrub breaks completely, at the moment when the others give up. maybe she begs them to keep trying - just one more potion, that's all we need, the next one will be the right one, I just know it, please keep trying, please don't give up yet, we have to keeping trying.

they'll question her on why she wants the demon cured so badly, they'll question despite knowing that she's only going to dodge every question asked.

but this time. this time Shrub doesn't dodge. this time, she stops giving vague answers and she stops telling lies that leave her with a pit in her stomach. this time, she breaks. this time, she tells them the truth. this time, she tells them the story of her life, her connection to the demon and how Xornoth is like a father to her - tending to her injuries, telling her stories, teaching her so many things, but most of all, loving her unconditionally.

she begs their forgiveness for lying to them for so long, begs them to help her find a cure for the only family she's ever known, begs them to not give up yet.

the other rulers would obviously be shocked, some might walk away feeling hurt and betrayed, some might come to Shrub and accept her as the child of the monster that plagues their lands. those that do accept her, they comfort her and she comforts them. they might all keep trying to make a cure, despite how hopeless it seems - they've already failed so many times, what more can they do?

Xornoth would have the same thoughts - what more can the rulers do? everything they tried, every potion made, has failed and it's just going to be more of the same. so, they make a decision, the demon seals their fate, the demon makes the call for war.

they go into the final battle reluctantly, knowing that there's only one true way to cure them and wishing that it didn't have to be with their death. they go into that battle hoping their little Shrub - their sweet, kind girl who showed them a better way of living - will be okay when they're gone. they know that her friends will be there for her so she should be okay, she can survive.

the two sides face off. no one wants to fight. Shrub, though she stands on the side of the rulers, is torn between her friends and her family. everyone there knows that the speeches given by the rulers of the Overworld are a poor attempt at staving off the inevitable.

Xornoth wants to be the one to throw the first punch, to get the ball rolling, get this fight done and over with, but they see their gnome, their beloved child, staring at them from across the battlefield, and she's crying. the battle hasn't even started and yet, she's mourning their death.

they don't attack. they stay their hand. they stand down. they move forward, hands up and open, free of any weapon, and walk gladly towards their demise. no one moves, all are still as the demon approaches, the usual sinister grin replaced by a grimace of heartache.

the demon stops before them, before their little Shrub and before the elf that looks so much like the brother they lost. Xornoth kneels at their feet, they say their parting words of love to their gnome, then they bow their head and tell Aeor's Champion to make it a quick death and please, if you could do me one favor, please don't let Shrub watch, please don't let her be here.

Shrub tries to go to her father's side, tries to beg them not to do this - there's still time, we can still find a way, please don't do this, please don't give up. Katherine and Gem hold her, embrace her in a way that her eyes are shielded from the bloodshed that's soon to come. they look to Scott, he's the one with the powers of a god that can rival the demon's darkness.

Scott is shaking where he stands but it's not from fear. he stands before the demon, above the monster that's terrorized his friends, and in his hands is the weapon that will strike the final blow and end everything. he had thought for a long time that Alinar was right in his actions, following the path Aeor laid out before him, banishing the only family he had to another world.

but standing here, knowing what he knows now about his friend Shrub, what he knows about himself as Aeor's Champion and about his past life as Alinar - he knows that Alinar made the wrong choice, he knows that there is a better way.

Scott, knowing that his next action is going to displease his god, drops the blessed weapon given to him and says - No. he kneels before the monster and says - You will not die today. he embraces the brother he never knew and says - We will find a cure.

this is where Aeor has a choice to make - enact justice on the crimes committed by Exor - or forgive his sins.

the Stag God follows his Champion's lead and chooses forgiveness. he stands before his own brother and chooses to end the war they've fought for eons.

with this, the corruption dies around them and Conal is freed. the demon melts away and an elf emerges from its remains. Conal embraces their brother come back to life and relishes in the life he's been gifted.

Shrub breaks free from her friends and practically crushes her family - both her father and Scott - with an embrace of her own. she cries enough tears for the both of them, though, Conal comes pretty close to out-crying their child.

and with that, the war is over, the demon is defeated, and the Overworld can live in peace once again.

[prismadog]

(=^･ｪ･^=)

I will drown you in positivity if it's the last thing I do! And I will read that prologue as soon as it comes out! Why? Because you are an amazing, interesting, fun, and entertaining writer that I would pay to write if I had the money.

Does Shrub have a favorite food from the neather and one from the overworld as well? How does she feel about Joey being head over heels for her dad? That's an awkward conversation to bring up at a meeting, “yeah uh, please stop obsessing over my dad whenever I'm around, its kind of weird.” and what would her interactions with the seablings be like since she's unable to swim (and never came into contact with water until the overworld) and they both rule over water. And quite a few people head canon Shrub as unable to speak until her later years so is she like that in your AU as well or no? And feel free to add anything else that I didn't question but you want to talk about. I love hearing what you have about this AU.

And thanks, I've been hydrating and resting and I'm starting to feel better. And the part about food skins is it's a condition that causes my entire throat to swell up and there's certain foods that for me cause it to flare up where as someone else with the condition might be able to eat it. Here's a small description from Google.

“Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic disease of the esophagus. Your esophagus is the muscular tube that carries food and liquids from your mouth to the stomach. If you have EoE, white blood cells called eosinophils build up in your esophagus. This causes damage and inflammation, which can cause pain and may lead to trouble swallowing and food getting stuck in your throat.”

How have you been recently? Feeling well? Hydrating? Eating well? Resting? Doing anything you find interesting or calming?

"For what it’s worth: It’s never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over again." -F. Scott Fitzgerald

:3

how am I? I'm currently drowning in love and affection and positivity and I think if someone threw me a lifeline, I'd throw it right back like "nah, I'm good thanks, I'm okay with this kind of drowning". honestly, I haven't stopped smiling since first reading your ask! 🥰

I have been hydrating and eating well - resting not so much due to insomnia but I think I get enough hours at night. as for what I'm doing, I've been, obviously, thinking about the AU, but also about Empires, all alongside trying to play Minecraft Java for the first time! it's quite the challenge, going from bedrock to Java, but I love it! also, I've picked up a new interest - making videos, or well, attempting to - there's a lot to learn!

that condition doesn't sound very fun. I gotta say though, it's an interesting thing, the way the human body can sometimes have serious flaws that could affect a person to such a degree. but I hope it's not too troubling for you and doesn't cause you too many problems. and I'm glad to hear you're doing better! it's really no fun being sick.

but maybe some more AU content will help with feeling better? and I hope you're comfortable because there is a lot here. also, I'm sorry it took so long to respond to your ask, I've been a bit preoccupied with other things [re: the new interest/playing java]. but I hope you enjoy all the lore/content below!

favorite foods

Shrub's favorite Nether food would have to be the mushrooms - crimson and warped eaten together so that she gets both the spiciness of the crimson and the cool sweetness of the warped.

for the Overworld, she has a few favorites.

potatoes because they can be made in so many different ways - her favorite type is baked potatoes with blaze powder. this was her first real experience with overworld food thanks to Mr. Potato Man Fwhip!

cake. it doesn't matter what kind of cake. whether it's the moist carrot cake from Smallholding or the delectable sweet apple cake from the Flower Fields or the heavenly secret-recipe cake from Pixandria - Pix still hasn't told her what's in it but she does notice a distinct honey flavor - or even the sweet berry cupcakes of Rivedell. no matter where it's from or what it's made with, she loves it.

But I think her all-time favorite food over all else has to be the golden apple. not only are they delicious but they remind her of her life with Xornoth and how simple it was - it was just the two of them for so long, they would tell her stories to help her sleep or they would braid her hair, or they would patch her up after she went exploring. whatever it was the two of them were doing, Xornoth always treated her well and gave her golden apples.

-

Shrub unable to speak until she's older?

I've only talked about her childhood after Xornoth found her, but never before then. so, if you don't mind I'll do that here, plus drop some serious lore about where she spent the first part of her life. I could just simply answer the question but we all know I'm incapable of short, simple answers here :D

to answer the question, in part, before Xornoth, Shrub wasn't very vocal but she could talk. the only time she really talked was when she was on her own and she would either talk to herself or the forest around her. this often got her in trouble and here's why!

Shrub, as I've said, is a crimson forest gnome. gnomes live in small colonies, anywhere from 50 to upwards of 100 residents depending on how big their forest is and whether its heavy on enemies. warped gnomes have larger colonies due to the lack of natural enemies. and these colonies, they live partially underground but they will make their homes inside the mushroom trees - this is mostly as a safety precaution against enemies.

Shrub's colony is a smaller one near the edge of the crimson forest. they've had quite a few attacks from various enemies - hoglins mostly but also skeletons and ghasts due to being so close to the edge. and every so often, they have a visit from a demon that likes to pick on the weaker creatures of the Nether out of boredom.

because of all this, they are a quiet folk. noise means danger and danger means they're going to die, so, they try to keep as quiet as possible, except, on certain occasions. those "certain occasions" are when they would make a sacrifice to the demon.

the warriors would get together, go out into the forest, and gather as many mobs as possible - mostly hoglins but sometimes zombie pigmen and piglins too. they would corral these mobs and when they were ready, they would call the demon using a mix of drums and horns. they believed that if they made these sacrifices, then the demon would spare them. it would work for the most part, the demon would still leave them "gifts" that often resulted in minor injuries.

there is one time, however, as far as we're aware, that the gnome colony fears most for its survival. a disease starts to spread in the community, one that's never been seen before - it attacks from inside out: aggression and a decrease in appetite, black veins and red growths cover the body.

the elders - those that have survived the longest in the colony - get together to figure out how to stop this disease from wiping them out entirely. the decision they come to is to make another sacrifice to the demon, to ask it for a cure. but half their warriors are either quarantined or dead already from having turned on the others. so what can they do?

well, some of the adults do try to gather mobs for sacrifices but they're only able to round up a few. maybe it'll be enough? but what if it isn't? the elders have to sweeten the pot, so to speak. they're so desperate for a cure - if they don't get one then it's only a matter of time before they're all infected or dead. so, the elders come to a decision to sacrifice one of their own for the sake of the colony - it's not an easy decision and it leaves a horrible feeling inside them, but they have to do what they need to do in order to survive.

but who to sacrifice? the demon might want the infected warriors, or maybe a nice adult gnome? they could sacrifice a child, but that's their future generation! and besides, the demon wouldn't want something weak when there's better options. but then again, maybe a child will be enough of a distraction that the demon won't terrorize them ever again? it's a difficult choice, who to pick.

then Shrub gets herself in trouble by leading some angry hoglins into the colony. she was just trying to help them with their sacrifice so that they could get a cure but the situation got out of hand. the adults are able to round up the hoglins and coral them in with the other few mobs, but the damage is done, gnomes have been injured. she's always been a troublemaker so why not give her to the demon? put her to use finally?

the elders really don't want to sacrifice a child, but with the remaining healthy members of the colony looking for blood and nearly half their population infected - what can they do? sure, Shrub is a weird child and on occasion has stirred up a bit of trouble over her short lifetime - but does that warrant exile and possibly...death? with reluctant hearts, the elders put Shrub with the other mobs and make a call to the demon.

it takes the demon awhile to show, long enough that Shrub has finished the provisions the elders gave her and has started to fend for herself. no one from the colony visits the sacrifice which sits waiting on a hill several dozen blocks away, well except for one elder who's been given the task of asking the demon for a cure and barely has enough food to feed themself. but it's okay, there's plenty to eat around the pit - there's mushrooms and vines and netherbugs - it's fine.

when the demon does finally show, Shrub is playing by herself - the elder doesn't really hang around all that often if they can help it. but the demon shows and she meets it, and it looks so friendly and happy that she can't help but to try to befriend it! so, she does, the demon is there and she talks to it, greets it like she would any ordinary gnome, and it responds in kind - well, sort of, it's kind of a quiet creature and she does most of the talking. it does however give her a name when she asks - "Xornoth".

then the elder shows up again, not realizing that Shrub is with the demon, and snaps at her to keep quiet lest she attract anymore trouble for the colony. then they see the demon and greet it with the fear they're used to. Xornoth questions them on their actions - why is this child talking about being a sacrifice? the elder has to answer honestly, they tell the demon of the sickness - something that Shrub has already done - and they ask them to grant them a cure and in return, they get all the mobs to slay as well as one of their own to do with as they please.

Xornoth is honestly surprised by the elder's actions - in all the time it's teased the gnomes, they've never known the creatures to turn on their own. and to offer up a child for slaughter? what the fuck is wrong with them? like, they - Xornoth - can be mean and like to kill for fun, but they wouldn't kill a child, that's fucking insane.

and they tell the elder this - "what the fuck is wrong with you? how many levels of fucked up do you have to be to offer a child to a literal demon? like I thought I was a monster but that's nothing compared to whatever the fuck you are".

yes, there was cursing when Xornoth said this. I didn't know Xornoth could swear but apparently they can - then again, when you consider the circumstances involved, makes sense that they would be a bit riled up.

the elder tries to explain themself but they don't want to hear it, but what they will do is accept the sacrifices, child and all, and they will grant a cure. Xornoth tells Shrub to stay with the sacrifices, then they go with the elder to the colony to give everyone the "cure" - the elder is wary but also happy that their people will be okay.

the demon sees how few remain healthy - it's just children and a handful of adults, and they're all scared upon their arrival. but the elder explains that the demon has accepted the sacrifice and is willing to help them - it doesn't ease anyone's fear but hey, they're going to be okay, the colony will survive.

the elder asks how the demon will cure the infected and without a word, Xornoth kills the elder - that's the "cure" they had in mind. they go around the colony and "cure" every last gnome, minus the children and the healthy gnomes remaining. if the colony had gone about things differently instead of trying to sacrifice a literal child, then they might have been kind.

once the "cures" are administered, Xornoth returns to the "sacrifice" waiting for them. Shrub asks about the screaming and they lie and tell her that unfortunately, the cure is painful once taken, but everyone is okay now. then, they release the mobs and walk away with Shrub as a new companion - she asks about this too and they simply say that they're not in the mood for senseless murder.

after that, Xornoth gets to know their new companion / eventual child. Shrub is quiet most of the time at the start - if prompted, she will start talking their ear off but then she clams back up and apologizes for talking too much. they question her on this odd behavior and she tells them the rules the colony had about not making any noise - they tell her that there's no need to keep quiet if she doesn't want to, she's free to talk as much or as little as she wants.

it takes some getting used to for Shrub to get over the colony's rules that were ingrained in her, but once she does, she's as vocal as ever. and honestly, Xornoth likes it - it fills the silence that's always around them and it reminds them that they're no longer alone.

-

mad king Joey Graceffa

oh god, she absolutely hates Joey simping for her dad. it wouldn't be so bad if he was just simply like "I'm in love with the demon" and moved on to other topics in a calm manner like a normal person.

but no. no. this madman is all like "omg! I'm dating Xor-Xor!" "I call the demon 'Daddy'!" "uwu" and just is the absolutely simpiest simp to ever simp. and Shrub is like, "dear god, strike me down or else I'm going to murder a bitch." she can handle people talking negatively about "the demon", everything just rolls right off of her, but there's just something about the things Joey says that make her want to throw hands.

fun idea I had:

the first time Shrub ever hears Joey call Xornoth "daddy", she snaps, like just straight-up out. for. blood. I don't know if it's in Joey's kingdom or if it's at a Gathering, but either way, she hears that and she is just like "all right, you're fucking dead and ain't nobody gonna save you".

if this happens in the Lost Empire, or Maztec if you wanna go by it's official name, then there is absolutely no chance of Joey surviving an attack from Shrub. like, he simps and the next thing he knows is that he's respawning in bed and an angry gnome is telling him to never utter the words "Daddy Xornoth" in her presence ever. again.

if it happens in another kingdom/at a Gathering of Empires then there might be a chance for him to survive a respawn. she'll definitely lunge at him, blade in hand, aiming for blood, but the other rulers would probably step in and keep that from happening. or they might not - they might just be too shocked by the change in demeanor to respond quickly enough.

Joel is instead a God of Life, or more specifically, a Demigod of Life. most would think him the Mad King due to how he's always killing himself for his own head but that isn't the case - I mean, it's a bit crazy to kill yourself for your head, but that's just Joel being Joel. I actually got the idea for him being a [demi]God of Life from someone else's post - I currently can't find the post but it's basically about Joel being able to bring life to the harsh mesa with the moss blocks and the clones.

fun fact: the reason Joey is known as the Mad King instead of Joel is because of his lust for power, the cold but curious attitude towards watching another die, the way he'll willingly murder someone whether by his hands or another's, and the fact that from the first moment he met Xornoth he was like "Daddy!" if you want to know a bit more about his past, I have a post here that could help - that's if you haven't seen it yet.

Seablings

in all honestly, I got a bit stumped on this part. I've thought a lot about the main characters but never how Shrub would interact with the rulers outside of her family/the Wither Rose Alliance. Xornoth is an easy one to think about interacting with Jimmy/the others since they don't really change much, but Shrub? she's a bit different from canon and in canon, there's very little to go from.

but don't worry! I think I've come up with an answer to this question!

in canon: there is one instance where fWhip/the Wither Rose Alliance [WRA for short] warn Shubble about the Codfather - I don't remember the exact details but I believe they told her that the Codfather is violent and likes to drown others and possibly is a thief? the last one, I'm not sure if they actually said or not.

the same will be true for the AU. the WRA will tell Shrub about the ocean people and to stay away from them because they're violent and ruthless - they like to drown people for fun! and the Codfather, oh Shrub, do not cross paths with him, he'll not only drown you but he'll steal your things too!

Shrub's a little naïve when it comes to people so she'll take their words to heart, especially since Fwhip's already been kind to her by giving her vegetables and sharing potatoes with her. and of course she can trust Gem and Sausage, they're Fwhip's siblings!

fun fact: Sausage and the Roseblings aren't related by blood nor was he adopted in the traditional sense. the three of them became friends when they were younger and the twins - Gem & Fwhip - basically adopted him and called him their little brother. the only difference is that it was never legalized, though, the twins would do that in a heartbeat if they knew they could.

so, going into meeting the seablings for the first time, she's a bit biased and will be wary of the Ocean Queen and the Codfather. they're from the ocean and they're tall and they smell like fish and they're just a bit intimidating, plus the Codfather is wearing a fish on his head which is just weird and not right. so, she'll try to keep her distance, maybe stay close to Katherine or the WRA during the Gathering.

the seablings will try to talk to her at first, she's new to the world, so they'll want to make sure she feels welcome. but they'll notice her apprehension, or at least Lizzie will. Jimmy would probably continue trying to make friends with the gnome if Lizzie didn't step in and tell him to ease up.

maybe a few meetings pass like this where Shrub tries avoiding the seablings at all costs, and maybe the other rulers pick up on this. most wouldn't say anything but Katherine - Katherine would take Shrub aside, maybe at a Gathering or on a day near it, and ask her about why she's avoiding Lizzie and Jimmy.

at this point, Katherine has become a good friend - they bonded over nature! - so Shrub tells her what she's been told by the WRA and her feelings of wariness due to the whole water situation. Katherine would then be firm - kind, but firm - about how her behavior is rude. she'll explain that instead of listening to what others say, she should make her own opinions about people. Katherine would also tell her that while Lizzie has a tendency to be scary, she and Jimmy are actually really nice and friendly!

Shrub takes her friend's words under consideration and thinks it best that she apologize for being rude. she goes to the seablings, asking them for a private talk and once in privacy, she apologizes and tells them about why she's been so rude.

Jimmy easily accepts her apology as does Lizzie. Lizzie understands Shrub's wariness - being so small with a fear of water can't be easy when faced with two ocean people who're nearly twice her height.

fun fact / headcanon

Lizzie and Jimmy are two of the tallest rulers! Lizzie is 7 in a half feet tall and Jimmy is 7 foot - though for Jimmy, he does a lot of crouching/slouching around others so it's not as noticeable. and that's only their human form! in their merfolk forms, they're easily three times the size as the average person - Lizzie would be at least 25 foot long and Jimmy just a couple feet shorter than her.

"merfolk form" isn't like it is in canon where Lizzie became the blue axolotl and still had legs. the merfolk form is basically just a giant ass mermaid eldritch creature that could crush you with ease! * I'm working on a post that will go into more detail about what I think the seablings, and others, would look like if they were a bit more "monstrous".

now, it might take Shrub some time to get over her wariness of the seablings, but eventually she will, especially after getting to know the two water-dwelling creatures. Lizzie will still intimidate her from time to time - she's so scary when she's angry - but it's a good kind of intimidate! and Jimmy? well, he's kind of a himbo and she'll see that he's actually a really nice guy and kind of a dummy and that he really just loves everyone and is super friendly!

I imagine that once they're all on friendly terms, Lizzie or Jimmy, or both, would offer to teach Shrub how to swim. Shrub won't accept at first due to her fears and the seablings understand, maybe they can start small? maybe just a pool of water a block deep?

well, it couldn't hurt, could it? Shrub would think, and Lizzie will be right there. but she'd still be nervous so maybe Katherine or Gem would be there too? maybe they make it into a girls' day and invite Pearl too!

the girls could teach her about different things or they could just hang out. and they could help Shrub get over her fears, at least a little bit! but a girls' day wouldn't be complete without a few friendly fights - that's when Shrub would get to see just how awesome and amazing - and perhaps a bit hot? - the ladies of the Overworld really are.

but yeah, Shrub would be nervous at first due to the WRA's words and would avoid the seablings, Katherine would talk to her and help her come to the realization that she's being rude, then she's apologize and the three of them would talk things out, and then later down the line Lizzie - and friends? - start hanging out and having girl time!